Taming An Angel
by Litta
Summary: Rikuto has to figure out how to tame Krad and Satoshi with the help of her own hidden angel. SatoshiOC
1. Chapter 1

She sat across the room, paying attention to the teacher while still keeping an eye on him. He never looked away from the teacher. When class was over, he was the first one out the door. She ran out into the hallway. He was already gone.

She noticed Daisuke looking at something on the announcement board. She walked over when he walked away to see what he'd been staring at. It read:

Test your computer skills. 1st place wins $1000 dollars,

second place receives $500, third place $250. Sign up today!

This was her chance. She pulled out a pen and wrote down three names on the paper. Her own name was the first, then she added Satoshi Hiwatari and Daisuke Niwa. This was her chance to see how well she was on a computer compared to them.

She was the top student in the school, only Satoshi was above her. She was always looking for a way to prove herself, but no one paid her much mind.

I'll finally be known throughout the school for beating Satoshi and Daisuke in a computer contest, she thought. Then I'll get some of the attention for once.

"Rikuto!" She turned around. Kupita was running towards her. "Hey, did you see who signed up for the computer contest, besides you?"

"Who?" she asked as if she didn't know.

"Hiwatari and Niwa! You're going to have a hard time beating them!" She ran ahead and met up with her friends.

Rikuto walked home and worked on her computer for a little while. Then she got out her notepad and looked at what she had written down.

Her notes were spread all over the table. Everything Dark had ever stolen was listed on one sheet of paper. Pictures of him were scattered everywhere. All the information she could find she had.

Then she got out a second stack of papers. There were pictures of Krad, facts about him, sightings, anything that had to do with him. He wasn't as well known as Dark, the Phantom Thief, but she knew as much about him as Dark.

"One of these days I'll figure out who you are." She put her papers back. She stopped suddenly when she heard someone knock on her door. She opened it to find a man in a suit standing there.

"Miss Rikuto?" he asked.

"Yes?"

"Are your parents home?" he asked her.

"My parents died years ago," she told him.

"Do you live by yourself?" he asked again.

"Yes. Is there something I can help you with?"

"I was sent to deliver this note to you." He handed her a piece of paper, then walked back to his car and drove away.

She closed the door and opened the note. It said she had been accepted to participate in the computer contest. She copied the information and then threw the note away.

She watched the news when they discussed Dark. They showed videos they had of him stealing different works of art. She did some more research, and then went to bed.

The next day was the contest. She stayed after school and walked into the room. The only other people that had signed up were Satoshi and Daisuke, even though they hadn't signed themselves up.

"So you're the other participant?" Daisuke asked her.

"Yes," she said simply. They heard the instructions, and then went to work. They had to destroy a security system, erase a program, rewrite the program, and set up the security system again.

Daisuke finished first, then her, and Satoshi last. When they were done, they handed out the money.

"Nice work," Satoshi told them both. Daisuke didn't say much, she said nothing at all. When they were told they could leave, she went straight home. She never walked through the city, even though it would save her fifteen minutes.

She was a few minutes from her house when she was suddenly overcome with a burning pain. She sank to the ground clutching her stomach. She slowly made her way to her house and leaned against the door.

All of a sudden she felt something strange happening. She looked to the side of her and saw wings. She ran into the bathroom and looked at a mirror. She had wings coming from her back. And not only that, her appearance had changed a little. She quickly shut all the windows in the house. Then she heard a voice inside her head.

**It feels good to be out**, the voice said.

_Who's there?_ Rikuto asked silently.

**You've only heard rumors of me, so you wouldn't know about me. You know of the two angels, fated to battle each other. One is Dark, the other Krad. You have studied both, and know that each inhabits a body, their tamer. You have also heard rumors of a third angel.**

_Who are you?_ Rikuto asked again.

**I am that third angel. I have been inside you this whole time. You parents died before they could tell you about me. People knew the old Rikuto family carried a secret, some even knew it was me. They never knew the last two of that line had a daughter to carry on their legacy.**

_Are you telling me that the rumor of a third angel is true, and that I am the tamer of that angel?_

**That is indeed what I am telling you. As you know, the rumor states that the third angel will be torn between the other two. She will favor one over the other, and tame him. The other will then be able to find its own way of being tamed. Living inside you, I know which one you favor.**

_That's crazy. I can't be a tamer._

**Do you have a better explanation?**

_Well, no. But then how do I get rid of these wings and look like me again?_

**All you have to do is concentrate. If you are ever in a situation where that is not an option, you need only to look at a picture of the one you favor to change into me.**

_So I only need a picture of the two to change back and forth?_

**That's right. I think you should get those pictures now before someone sees you like this.**

Rikuto ran upstairs, which was no easy task with her wings. She went to her desk and grabbed two pictures. One was of Dark, the other was Krad. She looked at the picture of Dark and her wings disappeared. She looked in a mirror and saw that her hair was now back to normal. Then someone knocked on her door.

"Satoshi? What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to congratulate you on the computer contest, but then I saw you collapse on your way home. When you made it to your house, I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine. Thanks for checking though." He nodded and walked in the direction of the city. She closed the door again.

_So can I talk to you when I don't have my wings?_ Rikuto asked in her head.

**I am always with you.**

_So can you tell me who the tamers are for Dark and Krad?_

**I only know what you know, except what has been passed down through me through the generations, such as ancient knowledge of the history of Dark and Krad.**

_So I have to figure out for myself who the tamers are?_

**Correct.**

Rikuto sighed and did her homework. She went to bed early, strangely tired. It must be from dealing with the wings today, she thought.

She woke up earlier than usual the next morning. When she was ready to leave for school but still had time before she had to leave, she sat on her couch and thought.

_How do you find a tamer? _she wondered.

**You'll have to study each angel very carefully. Find out which students are always nearby. Keep track of where they are.**

_That's easier said than done. I can already cut out every girl, since we already know they're both guys. But how do I know how old they are? Where they live?_

**First check the people closest to you. The people you can track and study easily. Then you'll know if it's that person or not.**

She got up and walked to school. She was there early, like usual, so she looked at the students who were there. Satoshi was, and so were some of the other brighter students. A few minutes went by and the other students began to arrive.

She wrote down everyone she could think of that might possibly be the tamer of Dark or Krad. Dark had left a new note saying he was going to steal the Yuni of Fate tonight. After school she went home and did her homework. She then grabbed a notepad, pen, and binoculars and headed to town.

The police were already set up, so she stayed a distance away. She watched as Dark easily evaded the police and got away with the Yuni of Fate. She followed him on top of the roofs, into a section of town that was no longer inhabited by anyone. It wasn't long at all before Dark noticed her.

He began changing directions all the time, eventually disappearing below the rooftops. Rikuto jumped down and looked around. She saw him fly away, but didn't follow him. She heard footsteps and waited. The police came up to her.

"Miss, did you happen to see where Dark went?" someone asked.

"I think he headed in that direction," she told them. She pointed in a different direction than the one he took.

"Thanks," he told her. He led the troops off in that direction, a few of them bumping into her during the process. She was walking away when she noticed her notebook wasn't in her arms.

"You dropped this." She turned around. Satoshi had her pad in his hand.

"Thanks." She took it from him. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I'm the commander in charge of the police force trying to capture Dark."

"Oh," she said. I knew that, she thought to herself. "Well, thanks again." He nodded. As she turned to walk away, she noticed he suddenly clutched his stomach as if in pain. "Are you all right?" she asked.

"I'm fine," he told her. He stood up, but then grabbed his stomach again. He leaned against the wall for support.

"Do you want me to get help?" she asked again.

"No," he said quickly. "I'll be fine." She looked at him for a moment, then continued walking. _I know where Dark disappeared, so all I have to do is find out who lives in that house,_ she told herself.

She walked a little way before stopping to look at her pad to make sure everything was right. Then she heard the sound of air rushing, and she found herself thrown into the building she had been standing in front of. She looked around, and saw Krad.

"Looking for me?" he asked her.

"What do you want?" He came over to her. He picked her up and threw her into the back room. He came in after her, locking them in there.

"Why are you after me?" he asked her. She didn't respond, so he flew at her. He knocked her against a wall. He picked her up again and threw her into another wall. She went threw it, and ran into something. She looked up and saw Dark standing above her.

"What are you doing Krad?" he asked when Krad came out of the room.

"This doesn't concern you, yet," Krad told him. Dark picked up Rikuto.

"Why are you after her?" Dark asked. Krad pulled out a feather and pointed it directly at Dark and Rikuto. Dark flew out of the building before it exploded. He looked back and saw Krad following them. "Hold on," he told her.

He turned around suddenly and flew at Krad. He went under and past Krad, continuing on. Krad still followed them. Dark looked at Rikuto and saw the notes on her pad, but made no comment. She didn't notice. They continued flying until Dark was sure he had lost Krad. He landed on the ground and put Rikuto down.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure." He didn't seem to believe her. "What?" she finally asked.

"Where do you live?"

"I don't think you need to know that," she told him. I can get there just fine by myself, she thought.

"I want to make sure you get home safely, so I need to know where you live."

"I'll be okay, don't worry." She began walking away. He followed her for a while before eventually leaving. She was grateful when he was gone.

When she got home, she wrote down everything that had happened. When she thought about it, she realized something. _Satoshi was in pain before I ran into Krad, _she thought,_ just like I was in pain before my wings appeared._

**It's very possible that he could be Krad's tamer. Now you just need to find Dark's, after you make sure Satoshi is indeed Krad's tamer.**

_How do I do that?_

**You'll have to figure that out on your own.**

_Thanks a lot._ She went to bed early, hoping to go by the house Dark was near in the morning.


	2. Chapter 2

She got up early, and got ready quickly. She headed in the direction of the city, instead of the direction of the school like she normally would have. When she reached the house, she noticed someone coming out. It was Daisuke.

"Hello Daisuke!" she called to him. He was startled when he saw her, but quickly recovered.

"Hello Rikuto. What brings you here?"

"I took a different route to school today, and I thought I'd walk with you since I was close."

"Oh." He seemed flustered, but she pretended not to notice. They walked in silence for a few minutes before Daisuke started a conversation.

"So did you here about the school field trip?" he asked her.

"No. What trip?" she asked.

"Our class is taking a trip to Gensing, to visit the snow-covered mountains. We're going to be there for three days."

"When is this field trip?"

"We leave tomorrow, on Friday, so we'll be back by Monday." They reached school a little while later, still discussing the trip. They ran into Satoshi on the way to class.

"Hello Satoshi," Daisuke said a little awkwardly.

"Hello Daisuke, Rikuto."

"Are you feeling better?" Rikuto asked. Satoshi looked at her.

"Yes, I'm fine." That's what he told me last night, she thought. Daisuke headed to class, leaving Satoshi and Rikuto alone for the moment. "Why do you ask?"

"I just wanted to make sure. You seemed to be in a lot of pain when I left you," she told him. "I never ran into you again to see how you were doing," she added. She watched his reaction, but his face hardly moved.

"Oh, well you can see that I'm doing okay." He headed off to class ahead of her. She followed him inside in a few minutes. When school started, the teacher explained the trip to them.

"We will be leaving for Gensing on Friday morning, when you arrive at the school. You have all been assigned partners and a seating chart for the bus. That will be posted on the announcement board today after school. Now, this is what you'll need..."Rikuto took notes on what to bring, and went through the rest of the day like normal. At the end, she along with everyone else went to see her partner for the trip.

"Rikuto!" Kupita was coming up to her. "I already saw your partner! Guess who you have?"

"Who?"

"Satoshi Hiwatari! You're so lucky!" Kupita ran to her friends. Rikuto looked at the list to double check, and sure enough her partner was Satoshi. She memorized their seat and then walked home.

**So you are partnered with Satoshi. This could be helpful to finding out if he is Krad's tamer.**

_How is it helpful? I'll be with him almost 24/7, except when I'm sleeping._

**You will be able to keep track of him, while searching for Dark's tamer at the same time.**

_Possibly; but if he is Krad's tamer, won't this be a bad situation? Won't Krad come after me again?_

**He might, but if he knows who Dark's tamer is, he might not want to deal with Dark. If he does, you always have me.**

Rikuto arrived home deep in thought. She finished her homework quickly, and then packed for the trip. When she was finished, she went to bed early. The next morning she stuffed her two pictures in her pocket, since she didn't have to wear her school uniform today. Then she headed to school with her bag.

She was the first to arrive, being twenty minutes early, so she sat down in her seat. She was writing notes on her pad when Satoshi came up.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked. She looked up. She moved her feet from his seat and he sat down. She continued writing notes until more people arrived. He didn't seem to mind.

"So what do you want to see?" she asked him when they were away from the school.

"Nothing really. I've already been there, so it's up to you."

"You've been up to the top of the mountain?"

"No, but why do you want to?" She thought for a minute.

"I'm not sure, but it's just sounds fun. There's a tour every two hours."

"Fine, we can do that." She knew he wasn't upset or anything, he just obviously didn't want to talk at the moment. She went back to writing her notes and left him alone.

When they arrived at the hotel, everyone was able to take off their coats. They found out their room assignments and were to meet downstairs again in an hour. Rikuto went to her room, which she shared with the Harada twins.

"I don't think I've ever talked to you much," Riku told her.

"Nor have I," Risa said.

"I don't talk to many people in our class."

"Why?" Risa asked.

"I guess because not many people talk to me." They went downstairs a little later, and waited for everyone else. The teacher then talked to the whole group.

"You have the rest of the night free, but you are to stay on the hotel grounds. Anyone who leaves will be sent home immediately. Tomorrow you need to be downstairs at seven sharp. There you will find out your schedule for the day." Everyone scattered.

Rikuto decided to find out what all was on the hotel grounds, outside of the hotel building itself. There was a pool, and some spas, in the back of the hotel, but still inside. When she got outside there was a huge garden, but it was covered by snow at the moment. There was a spot where you could see the mountains in the distance, but she skipped that area.

Farther away from the hotel, but still on the grounds, she found a tunnel leading underground. She followed it for some time before she came to a split on the path. She decided to take the right, and she went downhill even more.

_Where am I? I hope I'm still on the grounds._ She walked until she came to a dead end. She turned around, and took the left path when she came to it.

Rikuto continued on. She came to a room at the end of the tunnel. It was a large room, with only a light on one wall. The light only illuminated the room enough to see a beautiful painting hanging up. Rikuto wanted to get a closer look, but she soon heard someone coming.

_What is he doing here?_ she asked herself. Satoshi walked in. He looked around the room, but Rikuto was well hidden the one of the dark corners. He didn't see her, and then he too hid in a corner.

_What is he doing?_ she wondered again.

**Be careful.**

_Right, but what is Satoshi doing in this room?_

**I don't know, but stay alert.**

Rikuto watched Satoshi and the entrance to the room. After a while she thought she heard something. She saw Dark come into the room. He quickly looked around. He then walked over to the picture. He took it from the frame and was about to leave.

"I don't think that belongs to you." Satoshi stepped from the shadows as Dark turned back around.

"I knew someone was in here."

"So are you going to come quietly?"

"You know me better than that." Dark smiled. He turned towards the entrance, but a door slid shut, and Dark was trapped inside with Satoshi. "Still think you can catch me?"

"I have my ways." Satoshi walked slowly closer to Dark. He was a few feet away when Dark darted to the other side of the room. He was only a few feet in front of Rikuto.

She suddenly saw Satoshi fall to the floor. She knew something was happening, but couldn't move because of Dark. She watched as Satoshi slowly changed into Krad.

_So I was right! Satoshi really is Krad's tamer._

**Yes, but we still need Dark's.**

Rikuto watched as Krad turned towards Dark.

"How unfortunate to see you again," he said smoothly.

"I feel exactly the same," Dark told him.

"Think you can escape again?" She couldn't see Dark's reaction, but she guessed he was smiling since he didn't reply.

"I'm sure there's a definite possibility." Krad flew across the room, but Dark jumped out of the way. Both pulled out feathers as they turned around to face each other again. Krad was now standing a mere foot in front of Rikuto.

Krad used his feather. He pointed it at Dark, who dodged the explosion, but barely. Dark used his own feather and shot at Krad, but Krad flew out of the way at the last minute.

**Cover your eyes.**

Rikuto put her arms in front of her, still careful to keep hidden. She suddenly felt slightly weaker, and noticed that she was protected when the attack hit her. The shield in front of her disappeared before the other two saw it.

"You missed," Krad taunted.

"So did you," Dark said. They continued to attack each other, never again hitting the corner where Rikuto was hidden. After a while they both seemed to be tiring out. Rikuto looked at her watch.

_Well no wonder they're tired. They've been fighting for a good hour._

**Dark may try to escape soon to save his tamer. Krad will fight until he can fight no more. He will stop at nothing to get rid of Dark forever, unless Satoshi stops him before.**

_Maybe we can help Dark along. _She began edging her way along the wall, careful to stay in the shadows and away from any attacks. She made her way to the door trapping them all inside the room. She saw the control, but moved away before Dark attacked Krad near her. When they moved away a little, she went back to the control. She was about to open it when she heard something that made her heart almost stop.

"What are you doing here!" Krad shouted. She turned around. Both Dark and Krad were staring at her, forgetting to attack the other. She didn't know what to say. "I'll ask you again, what are you doing here?" He stepped towards her, raising his feather as he did so.

"Leave her alone." Dark stepped between her and Krad.

"Trying to protect her?" Krad mocked. He quickly attacked Dark. Dark didn't move, so he was hit head on.

_He was probably trying to protect me._

**Let me take over.**

_No, then both of them will know about you and who your tamer is, me. I still don't know who Dark's tamer is!_

**You could get seriously hurt if I don't take over right now.**

Rikuto stopped listening, which was difficult since the voice was inside her head. Instead she concentrated on getting out of the way of Krad's attack. She rolled to the side just in time.

"I take it you aren't going to answer me," Krad commented. Dark got up and again stood in front of Rikuto.

"Leave her out of this," he told Krad. Krad hit him again, only this time Dark didn't get back up. In fact, he didn't move. Rikuto went to him and saw him begin to change.

_I'll finally know who Dark's tamer is._

**Watch out!**

Rikuto turned around in time to see Krad's attack, but not enough time to move. She blocked Dark to keep him from getting injured any further.

"Trying to be noble by protecting him?" Krad asked her.

"Not exactly," she answered. She jumped away from the next attack. She began to feel strange, and knew it was because she was so near Krad.

_You can't take over. He can't know who I am._

**You will get hurt if I don't take over.**

_I don't care._

Rikuto concentrated hard on Dark, so she wouldn't transform. It was working. She continued to dodge Krad's attacks, but he hit her every once in a while. One more attack, and she fell to the ground. She wasn't unconscious, but she was in so much pain that she couldn't bring herself to move yet.

"Now I can finish you off for good." Krad walked over to Dark. Just as he was about to kill Dark, his hand began shaking. His wings disappeared, and Satoshi took over. He slightly collapsed. Rikuto forced herself up and dragged herself over to Satoshi and where Dark still was.

"I'm sorry," he told her.

"It's okay." She noticed Dark seemed smaller, shorter actually. She noticed it wasn't Dark anymore, but his tamer.

"You go ahead, I'll bring him back," Satoshi told her.

"You can barely stand up yourself. I think I need to help you back. You might get caught by the teacher otherwise."

"You can stand as well as I can."

"That means he'll need both our help to get back," Rikuto argued. Satoshi sighed. She knew he was trying to keep her from finding out the identity of Dark's tamer, but there was no way she would let this go.

Satoshi turned him over, and she saw Daisuke. She helped Satoshi lift him up, and they carried him out of the room, back out of the tunnel, and back to the hotel. They were able to avoid the teacher, and she let Satoshi carry him into the room.

"Thanks," was all Satoshi said. They each went to their own room. When Rikuto got to hers, the twins were still up.

"What happened Rikuto?" Risa asked.

"I fell through some bushes."

"Are you all right?" Riku asked.

"I just need some sleep." They all went to bed, and were up early the next morning.


	3. Chapter 3

Rikuto went downstairs and waited for everyone else to arrive so they could go into town. Rikuto thought about what she found out last night while she waited.

_So Dark's tamer is Daisuke Niwa._

**Now you know both tamers, one for each angel.**

_Yeah, but now what? I thought that would take forever, but I got two lucky breaks so I know who they are. They still don't know who I am though._

**You were lucky last night. Had Satoshi not taken control of Krad, you could have died.**

_But I didn't. Even though you didn't take over I was still able to save myself._

**But barely. You were in a lot of pain when Krad hit you the last time.**

_True, but they still don't know about you._

_That may be, but the price was your pain. Next time let me take over. If they find out your identity, so be it. I will not risk you getting seriously injured._

**Fine.**

Rikuto waited for the teacher to speak, for by now everyone had arrived.

"Now that you are all here, I will talk to you about today's schedule. You and your partner are not to leave each other. You have the whole day to explore the town, but be back at the hotel by five sharp. We will go over and discuss some interesting facts about the town when everyone is back." With that the pairs of students left the hotel.

"So where do you want to go first?" Rikuto asked.

"I told you, I don't care."

"Let's head to the museum then." Satoshi let her lead him to some of the attractions in town. She avoided mentioning the previous night, and he made no attempt to bring it up either. Around two in the afternoon they began the tour to the top of the mountain.

"Everyone stick together, and be careful on the snow," the guide told the group. It was a small group, only twelve people. They started up the mountain.

As they reached the half way point, the group stopped for a few minutes to catch their breath. Then they started up again. It was only a few minutes after they had started up the mountain again when Rikuto realized she had left her note pad back at the rest stop.

"I'll be right back," she told Satoshi.

"Why?" he asked.

"I left something back at the stop." He watched her carefully run back down the mountain.

_I can't believe I left my note pad! I hope it's still there._

She reached the place soon, and spotted her pad. It was sitting near the edge. As she walked over to it, the wind picked up and the pad slipped over the edge. She quickly looked over, and saw it lying on a tree branch a few feet below her.

_I can reach that._

She lay down on the ground and lowered herself over the edge. She could see the pad balancing on the branch. She reached and her fingertips brushed it. She lowered herself a little more and stretched her arm as far as she could, and she was able to grab the book. Then she felt herself slipping quickly over the edge. She grabbed hold of the tree branch, but it snapped immediately under her weight. She closed her eyes as she fell over the cliff. She felt every bump against the cliff wall and every rock she hit. It seemed like she was going to fall forever when she landed on a hard surface.

She opened her eyes slowly. She saw that she had landed on some sort of ledge, jutting out from the side of the cliff wall. She turned her head a little more and saw that the ledge was the opening to what looked like a cave. She made to get up, but stopped when pain shot through her leg. She looked down. He pant leg was a little torn, and she could see a little blood, but it didn't look like much.

_Hopefully it's just sprained._

She looked up at the sky and saw snow start to fall. She used her arms and dragged herself into the cave. It wasn't very deep.

_At least I'll be out of the snow this way. I wonder how long I've actually been gone. It's probably only been a couple of minutes. Satoshi won't even think anything's wrong for a while._

Rikuto used her arms to push herself up. She sat up and leaned against the wall. She looked more closely at her leg. There were bits of dirt, rocks, and tree bark stuck under her skin. It wasn't bleeding much, but she was relieved to see that it was only sprained. She wrapped her coat a little tighter around her. She waited for someone to realize something was wrong.

Satoshi had reached the top of the mountain with the group, but Rikuto had not returned. He knew it was too long for her to be gone, and it was snowing a lot harder now than before.

**What does it matter if the girl does not return?**

_It wouldn't be good. She must be hurt._

**Then let her stay wherever she is. We can find her easily enough.**

_Why would we want to find her?_

**I suspect she is also a tamer. You know of the third angel, and I suspect that she is the tamer for that angel. It would explain why she has an interest in us.**

_That's not possible. And yet..._

Satoshi pushed Krad from his mind. He waited for the group to head down. When they reached the rest stop, he looked around. He noticed it looked like someone had been laying down on the ground and slid off. He carefully leaned over the edge, and saw that a branch had been torn from the tree.

_So she must have fallen, but that was over an hour ago._

As he looked more carefully for signs of her, he saw a piece of cloth down a ways on the side of the mountain. He saw signs of someone having tumbled down, and knew who it had to be.

As the group left, he wanted to go with them to talk to the teacher, but Krad was trying to gain control over him. He stayed far enough behind the group so no one saw him leave the group and head back up the mountain.

_What are you doing?_

**You shall see soon enough.**

Satoshi lost control. Krad flew down the side of the mountain and found a ledge that jutted out to form the opening of a cave. He stepped inside and saw someone huddled at the end of the cave. She was shivering from the cold.

Rikuto had curled up in a ball after a while, to try to stay warm. A few minutes later she heard someone enter the cave.

**Don't turn around yet. Wait to let them see you until you know who it is.**

The question she wanted to ask was answered for her before she could finish thinking it.

"Who are you?"

_Krad._

**Let me take over.**

_No, I can handle myself._

**Dark is not here to protect you. And I doubt Satoshi will be able to gain control for a long time. You have no choice.**

Before Rikuto could do anything else, she felt her wings emerge and her body lifted up until she was standing. Only it wasn't her, it was the angel inside of her. She could see what was happening, but she couldn't control herself. She could only watch now.

"So you are the third angel," Krad said.

"I am. Don't bother introducing yourself, for I already know who you are."

"Of course. It's you I always have the hardest time locating."

"Dark is easier? But that could be since you're his other half." Rikuto saw that Krad didn't like that statement.

"That's part of my history, which you obviously know. I on the other hand do not know any part of your history, except for the family you reside in."

"Most people that have heard of me know that, but only that." Krad pulled out a feather.

"Well perhaps I can get rid of you and relieve your tamer." Rikuto felt her body lift off the ground slightly. "But first, I would like to know your name."

"You have to earn that knowledge."

"Have it your way, but I would hate to kill you without even knowing your name."

"We shall see who kills who." Rikuto watched as she flew past Krad out of the cave. Krad was close behind her.

_Are you nuts! Are you actually going to try to kill him?_

**Of course not, but I have to tire him out so Satoshi can take over.**

Krad used his feather to attack her, but she dodged easily with her wings. She flew a little ways from mountain and away from the city, hoping to avoid drawing attention to them.

"Running away?" Krad asked.

"No, but if you'd like to..." she teased him. He attacked again, but this time he tackled her in the air.

"I don't run away," he told her. He pushed her into the side of the mountain and held her there. "Now, before I dispose of you, I would like your name."

"You won't kill me." Rikuto felt something strange happening inside of her.

"Not yet perhaps, but I will. Now what is your name?" he asked again.

"Myri," and with that a burst of sudden energy flew out of Rikuto's body, knocking Krad away from her. As he was thrown away, his wings disappeared and Satoshi regained control.

Myri caught him from falling, and saw that he was unconscious, but as she caught him her own strength began to fade. Rikuto suddenly had control again, but her wings were gone. She and Satoshi were falling to the ground. She blacked out before she hit the ground.

When Rikuto opened her eyes, she saw Satoshi's face first. She waited for her eyes to focus more before doing anything. She pushed herself up slowly, and looked around. They were in the forest at the base of the mountain, also forming part of the background by the hotel where they were staying. Satoshi began stirring too.

_Oh no, if he sees me, then he'll know I'm your tamer!_

**You don't have a choice at this point. You can't leave him here, and you can't get away fast enough even if you wanted to.**

Rikuto watched as Satoshi opened his eyes and looked at her.

"What happened?" he asked.

"You fell."

"So you're the other tamer?" _Maybe I can still play my way out and he won't know._

"What tamer?"

"You know what tamer," he said. She looked at him.

"I just saw you falling out of the sky and tried to catch you, but ended up just breaking your fall." He seemed to be thinking.

_Hopefully he's wondering if he's wrong about me._

**I wouldn't count on it. He knows what happened before he blacked out. It won't be hard for him to put two and two together.**

"When did you get here?" Satoshi asked her. _Oh no, I don't know how long we've been here._

"About an hour," she guessed.

"I wasn't this dark when I fell. Surely it was more than an hour ago." He was staring straight at her, and she knew he was hoping to get her to admit she was Myri's tamer.

"Maybe it was. I lost track of time when you landed on me." He didn't respond right away.

"Why were you out here in the first place?" She thought quickly.

"I was trying to find my notebook. It fell from the mountain so I thought I might find it down here." Satoshi sat up, but grabbed his arm as he did so. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing." She saw something on his hand.

"You're bleeding!" She moved his hand away from his arm. There was a small branch that had been jammed in, most likely from when they had fallen.

"I'm fine," Satoshi insisted. He pulled the branch out. She saw him wince in pain, but he didn't cry out. The he looked and noticed Rikuto's leg. "What happened to your leg?" She looked at it.

"I fell earlier."

"It looks painful. How could you walk on that to catch me?" _Oh no, I wouldn't be able to. There's got to be a way to avoid telling him._

"I guess I was thinking more about helping you than my pain."

"Did you see why I fell?"

"Not really." She was still looking at him when she realized he wasn't wearing his glasses. "Your glasses are gone."

"I don't really need them," he said. He stood up slowly, making sure nothing else was wrong with him. Then he held out his hand to help Rikuto up. She took it gratefully.

"Thanks."

"We should get back to the hotel. The teacher is probably worried about us." He put her arm over his shoulder and his arm behind her back. He helped her walk, and in thirty minutes they made it back to the hotel. The teacher was just about ready to send out a search party when they walked in.

"Where have you- what happened to you two!"

"We fell a short distance down the mountainside," Satoshi said. She seemed to believe him, so she rushed them to the hotel doctor. Satoshi went back to his room shortly after, but Rikuto had to wait a little longer. The doctor had to clean her wound before he could bandage it.


	4. Chapter 4

When Rikuto woke up the next morning, she vaguely remembered getting to her room. The Harada twins were already up and packing. She got up and joined them.

"How are you feeling?" Riku asked her.

"Okay, I guess."

"I heard you and Satoshi fell down the mountain," Risa said. "What happened?"

"Nothing, we just slipped over the edge is all." The questions stopped and Rikuto finished packing. Even with her leg she was one of the first ones on the bus. Only Satoshi beat her.

"How's your arm?" she asked him.

"Fine. What about your leg?"

"It's fine." As the other students began to arrive, the teacher began taking attendance. Rikuto could hear some of the conversations revolving around rumors of her and Satoshi. She knew they were being watched. "It doesn't bother you that people are talking about us?"

"Not really," he said. "Have you heard the rumors about the third angel?" He looked at her. _Not again,_ she thought.

"A third angel?"

"Yes, like the phantom thief Dark."

"Who's the second?" she asked.

"Dark's rival, Krad." He waited for her to respond.

"I don't recall ever hearing anything about a third angel."

"Even if you don't tell me now, I will find out who you are," he whispered as the bus started moving. Rikuto did reply. The bus ride home seemed much longer than the ride there. When they reached the school, Rikuto realized she was going to have to carry her luggage home by herself. She knew it would be painful because of her sprained leg. _Just great._ She was the last one off the bus. It took her twice as long to get home. When she did, she found that Dark had stolen something over the weekend.

"Can't even rest on a school trip," she muttered out loud.

**You realize that Satoshi knows who you are.**

_Maybe, maybe not._

**He knows. Even if he's not one hundred percent positive, he suspects you. You won't be able to keep me a secret from him for long. And Daisuke will find out eventually too.**

_I know. I know that's the only way to get rid of you. But even so, they don't both have to know, do they?_

**The one you are trying to tame will have to know. And if I'm not mistaken, he's the one you've been trying so hard to keep our secret from.**

_What's that supposed to mean?_

**If you want to tame him, he's going to have to know who you are. He will try to kill you at first, but that is what you have to change. Right now he is afraid that you are trying to tame Dark again, instead of him. He wants to be the one to get rid of Dark, so he will try to get you out of his way.**

_So if I told him about us, and that we weren't trying to tame Dark, wouldn't he leave us alone?_

**No. He would probably think you're lying. And if he did believe you, he would realize that you are trying to tame him. He will not want to be tamed.**

_If he doesn't want to be tamed, how the heck am I supposed to do it?_

**Don't concentrate on taming Krad first.**

_So then concentrate on Satoshi?_

Rikuto thought for a minute longer, and then went to bed. She woke up early the next morning. She tried to get out of bed, but her leg prevented her from doing so. _Great, now I'm going to have to miss my first day of school. _She finally forced herself to the phone. She called the office to request her homework and then went back to bed. A few hours later she got up and got dressed. Another hour passed and she heard a knock on the door.

"Satoshi!" She was surprised to find him standing there.

"I have your homework."

"Thanks." She opened the door and let him in. "Is your arm still doing okay?"

"Yes. Your house is very clean," he commented.

"Yeah, I guess so. Do you want a drink or something?" She noticed he had his school bag with him.

"No thanks." He saw her stare. "I thought I'd stay and help you with your work, so I brought mine as well."

"Oh." She couldn't stand the pain in her leg much longer, so she sat down on the couch.

"Your leg is what kept you from school?" he asked her. She nodded.

"It seems to have swelled up overnight." He sat down next to her on the couch. "So what homework do I have?" He pulled out the papers.

"Math and history. We have an essay do tomorrow on the history of Gensing, based on what we saw and learned on our trip." Rikuto groaned a little. "We started a new section in calculus today." He went on to explain her calculus homework and helped her work out the problems. When they had finished that, he showed her the notes for the essay. He helped her get that done and proofed it for her too. As they were finishing up both of their essays they fell asleep on the couch.

Rikuto woke up early again, and noticed she was on the couch. _That's strange._ She then noticed she was leaning against something. When she looked up, she saw Satoshi's face. As she began to move Satoshi woke up. They stared at each other for a moment without speaking. Neither knew what to say. There wasn't much they could say. Satoshi broke the silence first.

"I think it's time for me to go." Rikuto moved off of him and let him get up.

"Thanks again." He nodded as he headed out the door.

_Luckily it's still early. He probably will have time to go back to bed for a while before he has to go to school._

**I think that was your first step towards taming Satoshi.**

_What! That was so not the first step! That was a complete accident, and it will never happen again!_

Rikuto could hear Myri laughing inside her head, which was not fun to listen to. She put her papers away and went back to sleep for another two hours. Then she woke up again and got ready for school. She left early to give herself time, due to her leg.

When she got to school, she sat down in her first class, history. She handed in her essay along with everyone else. They watched a video while the teacher graded their papers, and they got them back at the end of class.

"Rikuto, how did you get a perfect paper when you weren't even here?" Kupita asked her.

"Satoshi helped me," Rikuto told her.

"He came over to your house?" Rikuto nodded. Kupita looked over to where Satoshi was sitting. "You are so lucky." Kupita went back to talking to her friends before the bell rang. Rikuto waited for everyone to leave before making her way to her next class. Around lunch time Rikuto pulled out the latest newspaper article on Dark.

_Why am I even looking at this? I know who Dark is. He doesn't even really matter anymore._

**That's true. You know who you have to concentrate on.**

_Yeah, but I still don't know how I'm going to tame Satoshi. It's hard enough just being around him, since that's what causes me to transform in to you._

**That's only partially true. It started out that for you to transform into me, you had to concentrate hard on or look at a picture of Satoshi or Krad. Over the weekend trip, when you transformed into me, you never looked at a picture of Satoshi or Krad.**

_But that's because you took over._

**Yes, but you should realize that you didn't have to look at any pictures or concentrate overly hard. So even if you are around Satoshi, you won't have a problem with transforming.**

Rikuto finished her lunch and headed to her next class. The teacher went over the math homework, but Satoshi had obviously taught her more than the rest of the class had learned. Since she was in the back with him, she told him as much.

"So you taught me more than them?" she whispered. He smiled.

"It was too easy for me, so I thought it would be the same for you."

"Mister Hiwatari, do you know the answer?" the teacher called. Satoshi looked up briefly at the board. Satoshi stated the answer, and the teacher, looking disappointed that Satoshi knew the answer, continued teaching. After class, Rikuto waited until everyone left again. When she walked out of the classroom, Satoshi was waiting for her.

"Are you still after Dark?" he asked her as they walked.

"Why?"

"I'm the Chief Commander of the police force in charge of capturing Dark. I wondered if you'd like to join me the next time he decides he wants to steal something."

"Sure, but why are you asking me?" Before Satoshi could respond, Rikuto fell down the stairs. She hadn't been watching where she was going. Satoshi quickly reached out and caught her.

"You weren't watching where you were going."

"No, I wasn't. Thanks." He pulled her back up.

"No problem."

"Do you need my number so you can get a hold of me?" He nodded, so she wrote it down on a piece of paper.

"Do you need help getting down the stairs?" he asked her after tucking the piece of paper in his pocket.

"No, I'll be fine. I made it up here before school." Satoshi said goodbye and left. Rikuto made her way home and finished up her homework quickly. She watched the news reporter discuss Dark and his last successful theft. When the news was over, she went to bed. The rest of the week Rikuto got to school early and got home late. It was Friday when her leg finally started healing up, and when she got a phone call.

"Hello?"

"Hello Rikuto, this is Satoshi. We've received another note from Dark. He's going to come after the sculpture 'Grace of the Beloved' tonight. Are you still interested in joining me?"

"Yes. When is he planning to steal it?" she asked.

"At 11 p.m. I suggest you get here earlier so you can find me."

"Okay. I'll try to be there around ten then." The phone clicked so she hung up as well.

_Cool, so I'll get to see Dark in action. Then again, I did see him try to steal that painting on the school trip. I wonder if that's the same one he stole the next night._

**This will also be another chance for you to get close to Satoshi. But be on your guard. He could be letting you come tonight to get close to you as well, to find out if you are indeed my tamer.**

Rikuto ate dinner and left a little before ten. When she arrived at the museum, she looked around for Satoshi but didn't see him.

"Looking for me?" She turned around to face Satoshi.

"Yes actually."

"Follow me." He led her in the museum through the back door. On the second floor there were police officers around every corner. "I don't actually expect them to stop Dark, but it keeps things interesting," Satoshi told her.

"Where is the sculpture?" Satoshi opened the door to his right.

"This is where I'll be waiting for him, in here."

"Do you thing you'll actually catch him tonight?"

"I hope to." Satoshi closed the door. He seemed to be smiling.

"So where am I going to be?" Rikuto asked him.

"You can be wherever you want. I've told every officer to let you go anywhere." They began walking away from the room.

"So I could be in that room with you?" He nodded. "What are you going to do until eleven?"

"Just wait for Dark." They stopped walking and Satoshi headed back to the room. Rikuto followed him. "Coming with me?"

"I think I'll see more of him in that room than anywhere else," she said. Satoshi said nothing. He opened the door, and when they were both inside he sealed it shut. She saw him going through multiple locks on the system to make it harder for Dark to get in. They took spots on two different sides of the room and waited for Dark to arrive.

_I don't know if I should try to help Satoshi capture Dark, or if I should help Dark escape with the sculpture. I don't have anything to do with Dark right now, and it makes things a lot simpler that way. Besides, I know how Krad feels about Dark._

**That's all true, but Dark will be in here. What are you going to do if Satoshi asks you to help him? Even if you decide to stay out of it, that means you'll be helping Dark by not helping Satoshi.**

_But I don't really want to help either of them. I don't really want Krad to capture Dark, but I don't want Dark to steal the 'Grace of the Beloved'._

**You're going to have to decide quickly. Dark will be here soon.**

Rikuto looked at her watch. It was five minutes to eleven. _Man, where did the time go? _She watched everything carefully, aware that Dark would be arriving at any minute. When the clock in the center of the city chimed 11 p.m., she looked over to where Satoshi stood. She couldn't actually see him, but she knew he was there.

A minute later she saw something moving around the top of the room. It fell from the ceiling and landed on top of the sculpture. There was a pair of black wings that gave him away.


	5. Chapter 5

"On time as usual," Satoshi commented from the shadows. Dark looked up.

"Still hiding in the shadows as usual too," he countered. Rikuto remained silent, still not sure who she was going to help.

"How long will you keep this up? You can't do it forever."

"You'd be surprised." Dark smiled, for his face was now in the moonlight coming in from the window. Satoshi smiled back. "Oh, and the net you had up there to catch me won't help you now," Dark added.

Rikuto continued thinking during this time. _Satoshi looks like he's going to need my help, but then what about Dark? _She made up her mind after Satoshi said the next sentence.

"I don't need the net to catch you." Satoshi moved quickly. He jumped towards Dark, knocking him off the statue. They tumbled down to the floor and Dark pinned Satoshi to the floor.

"If you don't need the net, then what do you need?" Satoshi was still smiling. Rikuto was standing behind them and kicked Dark off Satoshi.

"So you've recruited a girl to help you," Dark said. He was now facing Satoshi and Rikuto. Then he recognized her. "You're the girl from the weekend!" She nodded. Dark recovered quickly from his shock. "Nice to see you have a girlfriend finally Satoshi." Rikuto blushed slightly, but Satoshi was staring directly at Dark.

"She's not my girlfriend." Dark only smirked.

"Doesn't look that way." Dark ran and grabbed the sculpture. Satoshi made to go after him, but he suddenly fell to the ground holding his stomach. Rikuto was looking at Satoshi while slowly backing up. She backed up right into Dark. She looked up. He was looking at Satoshi with a serious look on his face. "Stand behind me." As he said that, Krad appeared.

"Now I get another chance to dispose of you for good," Krad said looking at Dark. Then he looked at Rikuto. "And getting rid of you will remove another distraction from my existence."

_This isn't good._

**I'm taking over. You can't deal with Krad without my help. And I don't care that both will find out about us, that's not as important as your safety.**

Rikuto resisted the transformation, but it was difficult. She knew Dark and Krad were still taunting each other, but she wasn't listening to what they were saying. She looked up and saw Krad's attack headed for her. It knocked her out the window directly behind her. _It's a good thing this side of the museum isn't being watched. _She was almost about to transform when Dark caught her.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

"I'll be fine. Where's Krad?" Dark only looked up and she saw Krad flying towards them.

"Just can't stay away from a damsel in distress, can you?" Krad called.

"She has nothing to do with this Krad." Rikuto knew she wouldn't be able to keep from transforming for much longer. Luckily Dark set her down on the ground. "Get out of here," he told her before flying back up to Krad. Rikuto transformed.

"It's about time," Myri said.

_At least join them from somewhere else, so they won't know it's me, _Rikuto pleaded. Myri consented and flew towards Dark and Krad from a different direction.

"Having problems gentlemen?" Myri asked. They turned towards her.

"Yes, and you just made them worse," Krad said.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you thought about me that much," she teased him. He scowled at her while Dark was close to laughing.

"Should I leave so I'm not interrupting the lovers quarrel?" Dark asked them. Krad was clearly angry, and he pulled out a feather. Dark pulled out a feather of his own. Myri put her hands together and began forming a ball of energy between them.

"You'll regret ever interfering with me," Krad told Myri. He flew towards her and attacked. She dodged.

"Wouldn't you boys rather take this somewhere a little more private?" Myri suggested. "After that attack Krad, it won't be long before the police come and see us." She began slowly flying away. Dark followed her, so Krad had no choice. They reached the outskirts of the city and Myri stopped flying away. Now she turned back around and faced Krad. Dark did as well. Krad had been continually attacking them on the way over, but they had been able to dodge the attacks.

"Done running yet?" he asked them.

"I think so," Dark said. "Now to continue what we started." Dark flew at Krad, but Krad dodged and flew at Myri. She couldn't see him coming until he passed Dark, and Dark was still close to her. She couldn't move fast enough. Krad hit her, knocking the wind out of her. She sent off a burst of energy to send him flying.

_That's weird. I'm not doing anything, but I'm actually feeling a little weak. Maybe I'm just getting tired. It is kind of late._

Dark tackled Krad in air, but Krad sent an attack from his feather and Dark bounced off. Myri rushed at Krad, but he held out his feather and she saw it coming. She dodged, but it still hit Dark.

"Don't you think the odds are against you?" Dark asked Krad.

"The odds are actually in my favor," Krad said. "With only one of you left, this battle will be over soon."

"What do you mean with one of us left?" Dark asked. Krad readied his feather and, instead of attacking Dark, attacked a surprised Myri. She hadn't been expecting it.

_What's going on?_

Rikuto suddenly found herself falling from the air.

"Dark!" Rikuto knew Krad had yelled it, but she didn't know why. She soon found out. Dark flew over to her and caught her in the air, and continued flying until he was well away from Krad.

"Are you all right?" he asked her. She looked up at him, but her vision was cloudy. It was difficult to even keep her eyes open.

"I don't know," she said quietly. She felt extremely weak.

"Where do you live?" he asked her. She told him, and waited quietly while he flew in the direction of her house. It seemed like it was taking a long time, but she didn't know if she could even keep the right time. Then Dark landed on the ground. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Not so great," she told him truthfully. He was still holding her, and seemed to her to be hesitating about putting her down. "Put me down," she told him. He did. She nearly fell over, but she fell towards Dark so he caught her.

"Let me help you in," he said. She couldn't argue, so he picked her up and carried her inside. He walked up the stairs and put her on her bed.

"Thanks." He smiled at her.

"My pleasure." She began to dislike that smile. He leaned down close to her, and she could see a glint in his eyes. Then he kissed her. She was surprised, but then began trying to push him away.

"I said thanks. You can go now."

"Goodbye then. I'm sure I'll see you again Myri." He left. Rikuto tried to talk to Myri, but she wasn't answering. Rikuto then fell asleep. She woke up the next morning sore, but Myri was awake.

_What happened last night? Why did you give me control without warning, and while still in the air?_

**I'm sorry. The last attack from Krad knocked me out. You automatically gained control.**

_Why did I feel weak before that though?_

**To use some of my powers, I have to use your energy. I was attacking Krad, which was using your energy, which is why you felt weak. I'm sorry I never mentioned it before.**

When Monday rolled around, Rikuto waited for Satoshi to get there. He was early as always, but later than usual.

"What kept you?" she asked.

Satoshi only shrugged. He continued walking into the school, so Rikuto followed him. He went straight to their class. She didn't know what to say to him, so she just sat down in her seat. Eventually the other students arrived and covered up the silence. When school ended Rikuto decided to walk home with Daisuke.

"How are you today?" she asked him.

"Fine, and you?" He seemed a bit flustered to her, which she was somewhat enjoying. He knew she was Myri, and she knew he was Dark. Only he didn't know what she knew about him.

"I'm doing well. How was your weekend?" she asked him.

"Pretty boring."

"Oh. Did you watch Dark on TV?"

"Yeah, sort of. My mom was watching it so I caught bits and pieces." She knew he was lying, but she figured he didn't need to know that yet. They continued talking until they reached his house. Then she continued on alone to her own house.

_I really should move into the city so I don't have to walk so far each day._

**Would you really want to be in the city? You seem like you rather enjoy the quiet and solitude.**

_How would you know that!_

**I can hear everything you think, so I pretty much know everything about you. Don't tell me you had forgotten about that.**

Rikuto didn't reply. She did her homework and then flipped through some of her old articles about Dark. She eventually found an interesting one.

_This picture has Satoshi in the background! He's holding his stomach like he's about to transform into Krad. How could I have missed that before?_

**Perhaps because you weren't counting on Satoshi being involved.**

_Yeah. And if you aren't looking closely you wouldn't see him._

She continued to flip through some of the pages. When she went to bed, she thought about the kiss from Dark. She fell asleep calling him every nasty name she could come up with. In the morning she went to school by way of town, walking with Daisuke.

Satoshi still seemed to be ignoring her, so she figured he was trying to control Krad. She walked home with Daisuke again, not really sure why. She didn't like Dark, but Daisuke seemed like a nice kid. _Although he is sometimes a bit of a klutz. _She walked to school alone on Wednesday.

After school was out, she made her way down to the art room. It was still unlocked, so she walked in. She looked at every painting and artwork in the room. There were a few sculptures, but she was mainly interested in the paintings. She was so intent at looking at them that she never heard the door open to let someone else in.

"And what brings you to the art room?" a voice asked from behind her. She turned around and saw, not Satoshi, but Krad. She knew she couldn't get past him to the door, so she answered his question.

"Is there anything wrong with being interested in art?"

"Not at all. So was it just plain interest in art that brought you down here, or was there something else?"

**Let me deal with Krad.**

"Nope, I think that's about it," Rikuto said, ignoring Myri. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get home and finish my homework." She started walking towards the door, but Krad blocked her path.

"I'm not through with you yet."

"Well that's just too bad, isn't it?" He walked towards her, backing her into a wall. "What do you want?" Rikuto asked. He said nothing. Instead he leaned towards her, putting one hand to the side of her against the wall. He moved his other hand to the side of her face. "What are you doing?"

"Shh," was all he told her. He pressed his lips against hers. She didn't know what to think, so she did nothing. He continued kissing her, gently, but as he did Rikuto felt something strange happening. She couldn't figure out what it was, but she suddenly realized she was getting weaker. She didn't know what to do, and she couldn't break away from Krad. Then she began to black out. Still she couldn't get away. The last thing she remembered before passing out was someone yelling, and the kiss ending.

Satoshi had finally gained control back over Krad. He was able to break the kiss, but Rikuto had passed out. He picked her up and carried her out. After leaving the art room he ran into a few students, but he ignored their stares. He carried her straight to her house. She was still unconscious, so he laid her down on her bed. He went back downstairs to do his homework. He wanted to be around if she woke up.

_What did you do to her?_

**Nothing much. I merely drained some of her life force through that kiss.**

_Her life force!_

**Had you not broken the kiss, a few minutes more and she would have died. Then you could stop thinking about her and concentrate on getting rid of Dark.**

_So you were trying to kill her?_

**Only for you.**

Satoshi stopped talking with Krad. It was only making matters worse. He checked again on Rikuto, but she was still unconscious. He found an extra key she had and locked the door. Then he went back to his own home to finish his homework. The next day at school, Rikuto wasn't there. Satoshi answered the teacher when she asked why.

"She wasn't feeling well after school yesterday and asked me to let you know she wouldn't be here." The teacher nodded, accepting Satoshi's answer.

"Very well then. I'll leave it up to you to bring her all her homework." Satoshi agreed and class started.


	6. Chapter 6

**6**

After school was over Satoshi went straight to Rikuto's house. He climbed the stairs to her bedroom and quietly opened the door. She was exactly as he had left her before. He felt her forehead, but it felt cool.

_At least she doesn't have a fever. How long does it take to recover from losing one's life force?_

**Why do you care so much for this girl? What makes her so special?**

Satoshi decided to ignore the comment. Since Rikuto hadn't woken up, he left her homework on the table next to her bed and headed home. At school, Rikuto was absent again. Satoshi answered the teacher's questions as best he could.

"Is she still sick then?" the teacher asked.

"Yes," he answered simply.

"What's wrong with her?"

"She has a high fever and is in a great deal of pain."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Tell her I hope she gets better over the weekend." Satoshi nodded.

He headed to Rikuto's house after school again. When he got there, she still hadn't moved. He set her homework next to the pile he had left yesterday, and then sat down at her desk to do his own work. After an hour he heard something behind him. He turned around and saw her beginning to move.

"What happened?" Rikuto asked slowly. She felt really tired. The last thing she remembered was Krad kissing her and passing out. She saw she was in her bed, and Satoshi was sitting at her desk looking at her.

"How are you feeling?" She tried to sit up, but ended up falling on the floor.

"More sore that I felt a minute ago," she said. Satoshi walked over and helped her sit up against the bed. "What happened?" she asked again.

"I was going down to clean the art room after school. I opened the door and you were in there. Krad took over before I could do anything. When he kissed you, he was also draining your life force out of you. I was finally able to take control and break the kiss, but you were already unconscious. If I hadn't stopped him when I did, you'd be dead." Rikuto said nothing, and Satoshi let this information sink in.

"Why did he want to kill me?"

"He thinks you're a distraction to me, and so he wants to remove the distractions from my life."

"Oh. Thank you, for saving me. But how did I get back here?"

"I brought you here. I also have your homework, but you should rest." Rikuto only nodded. She was already falling back asleep. Satoshi picked her up and placed her back on the bed. After locking the house, he walked back to his apartment. The next morning he went back to Rikuto's house. She was up but still in bed when he got there.

"How are you getting into my house?" she asked him.

"I found your spare key."

"Oh. What are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd help you with your homework over the weekend. That is, if you're feeling up to it." He waited for her response.

She sat up and put the pile of homework in her lap. "Well, then let's get started on it." He helped her finish up the work from the days she'd missed, and after a few hours they had finished everything. "I did thank you, didn't I?" she asked.

"Yes, but you weren't fully awake."

"Oh." They sat there for a few minutes in a silence, not sure of what to say.

"I'll let you rest. If you need anything you can call me." He handed her a piece of paper with his number written on it.

"Thanks again," she said. He nodded and left. Once he was gone she got out of bed. She slowly walked over to her desk, and put his number there.

**Nice to see you awake again.**

_It's nice to be awake again._

**Satoshi seems somewhat fond of you, much to the displeasure of Krad.**

_So it seems. But does that mean I'm really any closer to taming Satoshi or Krad? I mean the whole reason Satoshi has had to be so nice to me is because Krad tried to kill me._

**That's true. But why would Krad want to kill you that much, to risk being seen at school during the day, unless you were becoming too important to Satoshi.**

_I don't know if that's a good thing at this point._

The rest of the weekend passed without any disturbances or activity. Satoshi checked on her again Sunday, but left when she told him she was all right. When she woke up Monday morning, she made her way to school early. Upon arriving, she talked with her teachers and handed in her homework.

"I'm glad you're felling better," one of her teachers told her. She nodded and waited for school to start. A few minutes before school started she saw Satoshi walk in and take his seat. She waited until after school to talk to him about it.

"Why were you so late this morning?" she asked him.

"No reason." She fell silent, having nothing else to say. When it came time for her to leave to walk to her own house, they said good-bye.

_That was awkward._

Satoshi made his way to his apartment. He found a message from his father waiting for him when he walked in. After listening to the message and deleting it, he quickly left his apartment. He arrived at his father's office shortly after.

"You wanted to see me again?" Satoshi asked.

"Satoshi, yes I did. When you were in here this morning, you told me that you still had not captured Dark, correct?"

"Yes."

"And I asked you to describe the tactics you were using to capture him."

"Yes, causing me to almost be late for school."

"I am sorry about that, though I still don't see why you want to go back to school. But I've found out some new information since then, not all of it concerning you. I called you back here because I wanted to talk to you about your schoolmates."

"My schoolmates?"

"Yes. Which kids do you talk to and which ones do you avoid, and why?"

"Why do you want to know that?"

"Can't I take an interest in my son's social life?"

"I don't have a social life. I don't talk to anyone at the school."

"What about that Niwa boy? Daisuke, wasn't it? I thought you talked to him occasionally."

"I've talked to him a few times because he has an interest in art."

"What about this girl you've been spending so much time with? Rikuto, right?" His father watched him from behind his desk.

"I've spent a little time with her to help her with some homework."

"Her parents are dead, aren't they?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Satoshi asked.

"I was just wondering. It seems unlike you to go out of your way to help a girl with her schoolwork. Is there any reason you're doing this?"

"She's been absent from school for a few days, that's all."

"That's very kind of you to help her with her work. I noticed that you also brought her along on one of your attempts to capture Dark. Why did you do that?"

"She was writing a story for the school," Satoshi answered without hesitation, "and I offered her a first-hand look to get her information."

"She also seemed to get in the way of your ability to capture Dark."

"She had nothing to do with that."

"I see." His father said nothing, but seemed to be deep in thought. Satoshi waited a few minutes before interrupting.

"Is that all you wanted to see me for?"

"Yes, you can go now. I'll have someone drive you home." Satoshi nodded and left the room. He knew there was no point in arguing with his father, so he waited for the driver to pull up front. The driver said nothing but drove in silence. Satoshi didn't mind. He was too busy with his thoughts to be bothered with conversation.

When they were on the bridge Satoshi looked out over the water. He was too deep in thought to notice the ice on the road, or the continuous speed of the driver. When he did notice, it was because the car suddenly gave a lurch and began skidding across the ice.

"Do something!" Satoshi yelled at the driver, but the driver had hit his head on the steering wheel and knocked himself unconscious. Satoshi immediately tried to open the door nearest him, but it wouldn't budge. The next second the car went over the side of the bridge and plunged into the icy water beneath.


	7. Chapter 7

Satoshi waited for the car to hit the bottom of the river before moving. He quickly unbuckled his seatbelt and undid the driver's as well. He tried to open all the doors, but none of them worked. Water was quickly filling up the car, and the river current was also beginning to move the car. Satoshi ripped the steering wheel from the dashboard and smashed it into the back window until the window broke. He took one quick last breath before the car was completely filled with water. He pulled the driver out the window and tried to swim to the surface. This was difficult due to the extra weight of the driver, and the force of the current pushing him along. When he managed to reach the surface, he looked for the shore. Dragging the driver still, Satoshi reached the shore after some time. He took a couple of minutes to take some deep breaths, and then looked around to try to figure out where he was.

He pulled out his cell phone, but it had been ruined in the water. He put it back in his pocket and thought about the situation. The sun had already set, and the temperature was dropping. He dragged the driver behind him and began walking. A short while later he reached a house and knocked on the door. Only when the door opened did Satoshi realize whose house he had come to.

"Satoshi!"

"Hello Rikuto," Satoshi said calmly.

"Come in." She opened the door so he could get through. "What happened?" She helped him lay the driver on the couch.

"The driver was going to fast on the bridge, so we skidded on the ice and went over the side. He was knocked unconscious on the bridge. I was able to break the back window of the car and get us out. I came to the first house I saw, which was yours."

"Should we try to wake him up?" Rikuto asked, referring to the driver.

"We should, he needs to get out of those wet clothes."

"So do you. I don't have any clothes you can change into, but I do have a robe you could put on while I dry your clothes." She gave him the robe and waited for him to change. While she was waiting she began heating water for hot chocolate and then tried to wake up the driver on her couch. By the time he was stirring Satoshi was back. She gave the driver a large towel and told him to get out of his wet clothes as well.

"Would you like some hot chocolate?" Rikuto asked.

"Yes, thank you."

"Where were you going before the accident?"

"I was on my way home from my father's office," Satoshi answered simply.

"What were you doing there?" Satoshi thought of the conversation he'd had with his father, but he knew it wouldn't make any sense to her.

"Nothing much, just talking to him."

"Oh." They fell silent for a minute. "Have you had any more luck with Dark recently?" Rikuto asked to change the subject.

"No. He hasn't stolen anything since the time you were with me."

"Have you ever thought of going after him before he decides to steal something?"

"It's not as simple as that," he told her.

"Why not?"

"Why does this interest you so much?"

"It doesn't," she said quickly. "I just find the topic of a phantom thief stealing valuable pieces of art and no one able to stop him somewhat intriguing. Wouldn't you?"

"It would, but you seem a little more interested than most people." She noticed him looking at something, and turned to see what it was. She realized with a shock that she'd left her article clippings scattered on the kitchen counter, in plain view. "Would mind if I looked at those article clippings?"

"Uh, I suppose not," she said a little unsure. She watched as he got up and made his way over to the articles. He flipped through them quickly, and she wondered if she'd written on any of the pages. He came back in a few minutes, carrying a couple articles with him.

"You seem to know a great deal by what you've written here." He showed her the pages. Her notes consisted of different things, sometimes questions, other times just speculations. "Like on this one, why did you find it important to put down where Daisuke Niwa was at this time?" She didn't answer except to shrug. He leaned closer towards her and whispered, "You really are the third angel, and you can't deny it any more."

"Why would you think that?" she said, though her voice shook slightly.

"This article here, for instance. This is about the night you came with me, but you couldn't have known Dark disappeared near the southern edge of the city, because no one else knows how Dark escaped that night, except for me and another mysterious guest."

"I was just guessing based on the direction he flew."

"You wrote out a very detailed guess then. Even if you won't admit it, I know you're the third angel."

At that moment, the bathroom door opened and the driver stepped out. Rikuto stood up to take his wet clothes, and rushed to dry them. She didn't return until both his and Satoshi's were dry. She waited while they changed back into them.

"Thank you for your help," Satoshi told her.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine. I'll see you tomorrow at school."

"All right, bye." She shut the door and breathed a sigh of relief.

**You can't deny it anymore. He knows you're my tamer, and the notes he saw tonight only confirmed his suspicions.**

Rikuto didn't respond, but she knew it was true. She knew Satoshi knew she was Myri's tamer. She also knew that the driver had heard everything they had been saying. That was what worried her more.


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning Rikuto was pleased to see Satoshi as school. She had been worried that he would get sick after his accident the previous night, but she saw that he seemed to be feeling fine. After school she caught up to him so she could talk with him while they walked home.

"How are you feeling?" she asked him.

"Fine. Thank you for helping me last night."

"Your welcome. I'm glad you were close enough for me to help you. I hate to think of what could have happened to you had you not come to my house." It took her a minute to realize what she'd said, and then wished she hadn't.

"It was fortunate that you were so close by," Satoshi agreed. He looked at him watch, and then spoke again. "I have to go now. I have a meeting."

"Okay. See you tomorrow." They parted ways, and Satoshi headed once again to his father's office. It was early in the morning when he'd received the message from his father about wanting to talk to him about the accident the night before. Satoshi arrived at his father's office a few minutes early, so he waited outside the door. He could hear the conversation taking place inside the room because the door had not been shut all the way.

"And you're sure that you've told me exactly what you overheard them saying?" Satoshi heard his father ask.

"Yes," said another man's voice. "I listened carefully to the conversation and made sure I wouldn't forget anything."

"Very well. Thank you. This information will be very useful. Now you have to go because my son is due any minute."

"Good-bye sir." The door opened and a man walked out. Satoshi recognized the man as the driver from the night before. The man gave Satoshi a looked that Satoshi understood to be fear.

_He's afraid I overheard what he was telling my father._

"Come in Satoshi," his father called through the door. Satoshi walked into his father's office, aware that his father was eyeing him warily. "I was just filled in on the details concerning your accident last night." Satoshi said nothing. "I was told this morning what had happened, which is why I asked you to come see me. I wanted to make sure you were all right."

"I'm fine."

"The driver was just telling me about the young girl that helped you last night. It was very lucky you were able to find her house. I want to thank this girl personally, for saving my son."

"She only dried my clothes and gave me a drink," Satoshi pointed out.

"But if you hadn't gotten to her house you might have died from the cold. So who is this girl?"

"Why do you want to know who she is?"

"I've already told you. I want to thank her for helping you." Satoshi debated a minute about whether to tell him about Rikuto or not, but he decided there was no reason not to because the driver had probably already told him. "Thank you Satoshi. You may go now." Satoshi wasted no time in leaving the office. Once back at his apartment, he went over the meeting in his head.

_So father wants to "thank" Rikuto for helping me last night, or at least that's what he says. What does he really want? What could he be planning? I wouldn't put anything past him, as long as it serves his purposes. He wouldn't hurt Rikuto, that's not his style. Then what could he have wanted her information for?_

Satoshi fell asleep thinking about his father's plans. He woke up the next morning and got ready for school as usual. Once there, he waited for Rikuto to arrive.

"Good morning," he said when she walked in.

"Morning." She was surprised at his immediate greeting.

"Has my father contacted you?"

"No, why?"

"He asked me yesterday for your information. He wants to thank you for helping me Monday. I just wondered if he had done so yet."

"Well he hasn't yet, and you can tell him he doesn't have to thank me. It's really not that big of a deal."

"It is to him," Satoshi said calmly. "I just thought I'd let you know ahead of time, lessen the shock."

"Oh."

They didn't talk the rest of the day. Satoshi left as soon as possible after school, so Rikuto walked home by herself. She walked in and had just set down her stuff when the phone rang. She ran and picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Is this Miss Rikuto speaking?" asked the voice.

"It is. May I ask who's calling?"

"This is Mr. Hiwatari, Satoshi's father. I was wondering if you could come to my office so I could thank you personally for saving Satoshi Monday night."

"It's really not that big of a deal," Rikuto told him. "You don't have to thank me for it."

"I must insist. I will not feel content until I've been allowed to thank you properly. So will you come to my office?"

"I see that this means a lot to you. If you give me directions to your office, I can be there soon." Once she had the directions, she headed back out her door and into the city.

**I don't like this.**

_You don't like what?_

**Satoshi only told you this morning that his father was going to get in touch with you to thank you, and then he calls the same afternoon insisting that you come to his office. It just seems a little…..strange.**

_His father just didn't want to let this wait, what's wrong with that? You're just overreacting._

Rikuto arrived at the address Mr. Hiwatari had given her and walked in.


	9. Chapter 9

**9**

When Satoshi arrived at school the next morning, he waited for Rikuto to show up. She walked into the classroom as usual, twenty minutes before any other students. He immediately greeted her, intending to find out if his father had contacted her yet.

"Hello Rikuto."

"Morning Satoshi. I saw your father yesterday." She knew he was going to ask so she saved him the trouble.

"What did he say?"

"Just what he told you he was going to. He thanked me for helping you and the driver, preventing you from getting sick. He even gave me a ring to show his gratitude." She showed him the ring that now rested on her right ring finger. It was a thin silver band, with intricate lines weaving in and out of each other. The lines gathered together around a small, round stone that seemed to have no color, yet the stone wasn't clear either. Satoshi looked at the ring. He would have commented on it but the arrival of other students cut their conversation short.

At the end of the day Rikuto decided to walk home with Daisuke. Satoshi had already disappeared and she felt like having some company, since Myri had been rather quiet all day. They didn't talk much. Daisuke mumbled something about an errand for his mom and ran off when they neared his house. She smiled as she imagined his reaction if she told him she knew he was Dark.

She finished her homework quickly once she got home. The news reported a new note from Dark, threatening to steal the "Healing Sword" tomorrow at 10 p.m.

_He's getting pretty bold, sending the police a note a day in advance, don't you think?_

Silence was the only answer she got.

_Myri?_

Still no answer. Rikuto shrugged it off, figuring she must be tired. Rikuto went to bed anticipating a late night chasing Dark.

The next morning she got to school earlier than usual. She signed onto one of the school's computers to do some research. She had noticed the way Satoshi stared at the ring his father gave her. She wanted to find out why. Knowing Satoshi wouldn't tell her, she did the next best thing. As she searched the internet for information she learned the ring was part of an ancient collection. The pieces were separated because though each piece contained significant power on its own, together they would generate enough power to destroy all of mankind. All the pieces had been located except for the ring. Every piece had a physical description and an explanation of the powers it was thought to possess, except for the ring. The only information about the ring was a picture under a name. It was called the "_Contero_", which was Latin. Before she could translate it the warning bell rang and she had to sprint to get to class on time.

After school she started walking towards the computer lab, but something told her to go home instead. So she walked home and did her homework. Then she ate dinner and prepared for Dark's next theft.

Rikuto arrived to the museum with an hour left before Dark was due to arrive. She circled the museum and took notes on the police set-up. As the time drew closer she tried to talk to Myri again, but Myri still didn't answer. Before she could think more about it Dark arrived.

He flew through one window and shouts were heard. Rikuto knew he wouldn't come out the same way, so she walked away from the museum and headed for the buildings near the back of the museum. It didn't take long for Dark to show up. He was on foot and appeared to be running from the police. He spotted Rikuto seconds before he ran into her.

"You again!" he said. "What are you doing here? Never mind!" He shoved her into an alley and waited for the police to pass. "Now, how do you keep showing up at my burglaries?"

"If I can find you a school girl should have no problem." They looked up and saw Krad hovering above them.

"You just won't give up, will you?" Dark asked.

"Never. Once you're gone I will gain full control of this vessel."

"Until then, good luck catching me!" Dark sprinted out of the alley and down the street. As he reached the end, his wings appeared and he lifted into the sky. When he turned around, Krad was nowhere to be seen.

Rikuto had taken off running in the opposite direction of Dark. She was heading out of town, hoping to avoid Krad and return home. Just as she turned down another street and started to think Krad was gone a store front exploded to her right. She turned around and saw Krad flying towards her, only a few yards away. She jumped to her right, landing in the debris of the store front as Krad stopped where she'd been.

"Why doesn't your angel come out to play?"

Rikuto made no response but got up and began running again.

_Myri, where are you? Now would be a good time to take over._ There was still no response. Rikuto might have tried contacting her again but became preoccupied with avoiding explosions.

"You can't run forever," Krad called after her.

She knew he was right. Already her lungs were starting to burn and her legs were growing tired. She tripped over debris from the last explosion and struggled to get up. Krad caught up to her and picked her up by the back of her shirt.

"This time I will destroy you before Dark or my host can save you." He switched to holding her by her neck with his other arm and rammed her into a wall.

_Myri, any time now._

"KRAD!" Krad sighed in frustration and turned to face Dark, who was now hovering at the end of the street. "Leave her out of this!"

"Do you really think I've gone through all this trouble just to give up now?"

Dark charged at Krad, soaring through the air at a frighteningly fast pace. Krad had no choice but to drop Rikuto and brace himself for Dark's attack. All Rikuto saw was a flash of light, and then there was an explosion. She saw Dark fall to the ground. Krad stood and walked back over to her. She was still leaning against the wall, exactly where he'd left her. He grabbed her throat and prepared a feather to throw at her. In desperation, she did the only thing she could think of.

"I'm not trying to tame Dark!" she shouted.


	10. Chapter 10

**10**

Krad froze, feather still in the air.

"You aren't trying to tame Dark?" He seemed to be considering this. When he looked back at her, his eyes narrowed. "You are destined to tame one angel. If that angel is not Dark, I refuse to let you tame me or my host." The feather in his hand began glowing. As he threw it as her, Dark knocked him over from behind. The feather missed Rikuto, but the explosion didn't. She was thrown to the side and lost consciousness.

When Rikuto opened her eyes, she was on her bed. She tried to sit up, but pain shot through her body. As her eyes began to focus she saw someone standing above her. Before she could see who it was, he spoke.

"I'm surprised you're awake already." It was Dark.

"What happened?" Her voice was only a whisper because she was weak.

"I brought you here. After you were knocked unconscious I fought Krad until he disappeared. Then I found you and brought you home. I'm still here because I wanted to make sure you were alright."

"Oh." She wasn't sure she was alright, but she didn't need Dark hanging around either.

"So you're the third tamer, huh?" She looked at him. She had forgotten that Daisuke didn't know she was Myri's tamer. "I wondered about you. Where was Myri tonight?"

"I don't know," she answered. She had been calling Myri throughout the day but she never answered. She was beginning to worry.

"What made you tell Krad you weren't trying to tame me? Did you think he'd let you go?" Rikuto made no response. She had already fallen asleep. Dark turned to leave when he noticed the ring on her finger. "The '_Contero_'." He made a move to take it off her finger, then thought better of it. He left her there and went on his way.

Rikuto woke up late the next morning, still very sore from the night before. She ate breakfast and watched the news for any mention of Dark's escapade. There was some blurry photos and short video footage. Then the reporter showed the damage done to the streets behind the museum. Rikuto knew the damage was from Krad. The reporter asked for anyone with information to call the station. Rikuto switched off the TV. She spent the rest of the weekend sleeping and recovering from Krad's attack.

On Monday morning Satoshi was absent from school. Rikuto knew something had to be wrong. He never missed school, so she figured something must have happened. Myri was still not answering her, and she was having problems getting the ring from Satoshi's father off her finger. She walked home with Daisuke.

"How was your weekend?" Rikuto asked Daisuke.

"It was fine. Did my homework, helped my mom buy groceries, nothing exciting."

"Did you see the phantom thief Dark? It was all over the news."

"My mom watched it." They walked in silence for a few minutes. Rikuto tried again to get the ring off her finger.

_Myri, where are you? Why aren't you talking to me?_

Daisuke noticed Rikuto's struggle with the ring.

"Need some help?" She handed him her hand and he gently tried to slide the ring off, but it wouldn't budge. He tried a few more times but with no luck. "Sorry, I tried."

"It's okay. I'm sure I'll be able to get it off at home."

"How long has it been stuck on your finger?"

"Five days." She saw Daisuke narrow his eyes, and she could tell he was thinking hard, probably talking with Dark the way she did with Myri.

**That ring needs to come off her finger,** Dark was telling Daisuke.

_Why? You seemed really worried when you saw it Friday night. What's so special about this ring? What kind of powers does it have?_

**Dangerous powers. It explains what happened with Krad Friday night. We need to find a way to get it off her finger.**

_Why? What will happen?_ But Dark wasn't listening anymore, he was thinking.

"Daisuke?" He looked up. They had reached his house and he was still holding her hand, staring at the ring. He quickly let go and looked at the ground, hoping she didn't see him blush. "Busy talking to Dark?"

"What?" The question caught him completely off guard. She leaned in close and whispered in his ear.

"I know you're the phantom thief. I saw you transform when you tried to steal that painting the first time on the Gensing trip." Daisuke didn't respond. "It's okay, I'm not going to tell anyone; not when you know who I am."

"Right, well, um, I have to go. See you at school tomorrow!" And with that he ran into his house and shut the door. She laughed at his reaction. She wondered what Myri would say about her telling Daisuke she knew about Dark. She tried contacting Myri again but, as usual, was met with silence.

Back at home she finished her homework and tried again to get the ring off her finger. It wouldn't budge. She tried getting it off in the shower, but that didn't work either. She decided to finish researching it on the school computer the next morning.

She signed onto the same computer and quickly found the webpage with all the information. This time she translated the name. "Contero (Latin): to wear away, destroy, obliterate." It only took a second for her to guess what it did. She tried to take it off, but it wouldn't budge. She continued trying to pry it off throughout the day, while also waiting for Satoshi to arrive, but he never did. This was the second day in a row that he had been absent. Once she got home she tried to call him, but he didn't answer the phone. When Satoshi didn't show up at school for the third day in a row, Rikuto took it upon herself to find out where he lived and bring him his school work. Before she left the school Daisuke caught up with her.

"Are you still having trouble getting that ring off?" he asked her. She nodded. "I think I may be able to help. Why don't you come home with me and I'll see what I can do?"

"Okay." She walked home with Daisuke. She had never been inside his house, and wondered what it would be like. When they walked in Daisuke gave his mom a hug and introduced Rikuto. His mom looked at her and gave her a knowing smile. Of course Daisuke had told her what Rikuto had told him yesterday, but she didn't seem worried. Maybe he had also told her about Myri. Or maybe she already knew.

"It's nice to meet you Rikuto. Daisuke's told me about you. I'll let you two get right to work. Just holler if you need anything." Rikuto nodded and followed Daisuke into a hidden basement. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Rikuto saw that she was now standing with Dark. He wasted no time with chit-chat.

"Let me see that ring." She showed him her right hand.

He pulled out a feather and began chanting words. The feather shrank and then began to glow. Dark let go of it and continued chanting as the feather slowly circled the ring, spinning around it. It finally rested on the ring. Dark stopped chanting, and the feather exploded, sending the ring flying from Rikuto's finger. Seconds later Rikuto changed into Myri.

"Thank you for saving me Dark, you always were a dear."

"I'm glad I got to you in time."

"As am I. But I need to rest now. I'm sure you understand." She gave Dark a quick kiss on the cheek and then both changed back into their tamers.

"May I have that ring back Daisuke?"

"I thought you'd want to have it destroyed."

"Not yet. It may come in handy." Daisuke carefully wrapped the ring in a piece of cloth and then handed it to Rikuto. She placed it in her pocket. "And now I'll let you finish your homework."

Daisuke led her back up the stairs. Rikuto said good-bye to Daisuke's mother and then to Daisuke. From his house she walked to Satoshi's apartment. She was felling a little tired because Myri had used Rikuto's energy to thank Dark, but she had enough to visit Satoshi. She knocked on his door and waited for the door to open, hoping he was home. She didn't have long to wait for her answer.


	11. Chapter 11

_How could I have been so blind? It all makes perfect sense. Everything was right in front of me, so how did I miss it?_ Satoshi asked himself.

**You became too attached to that girl. She distracted you from our goal.**

_You mean _your_ goal Krad. You want to destroy Dark; I only want to capture him. But still, to think she's been trying to tame us all this time._

**I told you she was only a problem. Now you see that I was right. She must be eliminated if we are to succeed in capturing Dark. But you seem to hesitate and avoid her by skipping school. Perhaps you should let me handle the girl.**

_Enough Krad!_

Satoshi was pulled from his conversation with Krad by a knock on the door. He was still dressed in his pajamas, but as he did not expect the visitor to be anyone important, he did not feel the need to change.

"Hello Satoshi," Rikuto greeted him. "I brought you-" but Satoshi cut her off before she could finish.

"What are you doing here?" he practically shouted at her. Before he could say more he clutched his stomach. Rikuto recognized what was happening. Before Satoshi lost control to Krad he whispered one word: "Run!"

She didn't need to be told twice. She had seen what Krad could do and didn't want to have a second encounter. Satoshi's books fell on the ground as she turned around and ran down the stairs, taking them two at a time. She heard Krad chuckling as he flew down the steps behind her. While she hoped Krad wouldn't want to be seen during the day and wouldn't follow her into the street, she didn't slow down to check. That choice turned out to be a good thing as she heard cars breaking and horns honking. Krad was still following her.

She wanted to lead Krad away from the city and its people. As she ran down the street she made a quick decision and turned down the street to her left. If she could reach the end there was a trail that led down to the ocean. Hopefully she could think of a way to get away from Krad by the time she got down it.

The trail was a zigzag path cut into the cliff face. Rikuto's head had just disappeared beneath the street level when the dirt next to her head exploded. The force sent her sliding straight down the cliff. She desperately tried to stop herself before she hit the ground. Fifteen feet from the rocky bottom below, her feet landed back on the trail. The impact traveled from her legs to the rest of her body, but she had no time to recover. She immediately crouched down, then lowered herself over the edge while holding on to the path with her hands. When she reached the next level down she repeated the process until she reached the bottom. She stepped away from the wall seconds before it exploded behind her. She was thrown face first onto the racks covering the ground around her. She braced herself for the fall but never hit the rocks. Krad had grabbed her by the back of her shirt and was carrying her towards the ocean.

One look at the ocean and she began struggling against Krad's hold. Some of the waves were six feet high. The water was rough looking, the way it looks before a storm. She knew Krad was going to drown her. He had taken her plan and used it against her. With no people nearby there was no one to save her. She struggled for a few minutes until Krad changed his grip and held her by both wrists and carried her dangerously close to the churning water below. He carried her far away from the shore so there would be no chance of her swimming back before he could catch her. Then he stopped flying. He grabbed her by the neck and brought her face to face with him.

"Since my host is too weak to dispose of you himself, I shall do it myself. He tried to protect you by keeping his distance. You obviously could not see that and instead delivered yourself right to his doorstep. I am seizing the opportunity he did not. Now, with no one to save you, I will make sure you die this time."

He plunged her into the sea, only getting the arm holding her down wet. She struggled to get her head above water, knowing only too well how long she could hold her breath. She didn't know how long she'd been under when she felt Krad's grip loosen slightly. She took the opportunity to raise her head out of the water and get another breath. In the few seconds before Krad pushed her head back under, she noticed it had started raining and wondered if Krad didn't want to get his wings wet. So when he pushed her head down again she grabbed his arm and used hi momentum to bring him down with her. Then she started swimming deeper. She knew she was right about his wings when he fought against her and tried to get back to the surface. He reached the top and took deep breaths, but couldn't seem to get out of the water. Rikuto came up a few feet away from him and watched him thrash about. Finally the wings disappeared and Satoshi took over.

"Satoshi!" Rikuto swam over to him. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. You shouldn't have come to see me. Krad is determined to kill you and being near you only makes him harder to control. That's why I haven't been to school." He sighed. She knew he was right. She had been stupid to forget that Krad would want her dead even more now that he knew she was trying to tame him. "Swim back to shore Rikuto. Once you've reached it I'll follow you. I should be able to keep Krad under control for that long, but don't wait for me. And don't come see me again."

Rikuto nodded and began her swim back to shore. She tried to hurry because she knew Satoshi was waiting on her. With the waves pushing her all around and the rain blinding her, it took twenty minutes to reach the shore. Near the shore the waves broke right on top of her. She was pushed under and swallowed a great deal of water before she touched solid ground. She turned and gave Satoshi a little wave to let him know she'd made it to the shore. Then she quickly made her way up the cliff and back home. When she got there she took a shower, quickly finished her homework, and went to bed. Now she needed the rest as much as Myri.


	12. Chapter 12

**12**

For the rest of the week Satoshi stayed away from school. Rikuto knew better than to offer to take him his homework, but luckily Daisuke did. While she waited for Satoshi to return, she enjoyed being able to talk to Myri again, though the first conversation wasn't particularly pleasant.

**I could have told you not to see Satoshi. What did you think would happen, after telling Krad you were trying to tame him?**

_I know now that it was stupid. But how can I possibly tame him now when I can't even get close to Satoshi without Krad coming out and trying to obliterate me?_

**You said you kept the ring from Satoshi's father. Perhaps you could use that to help Satoshi fight Krad. It would be difficult though. Satoshi might not even accept it from you, meaning you would have to get close enough to put it on him. But for now you should start paying attention to your teacher. She is about to ask you a question to see if you've been listening.**

Rikuto answered the question thanks to Myri's warning, and paid attention the rest of the day. At home they continued trying to find a way to get the ring on Satoshi. They tried coming up with alternatives, but nothing they thought of could work as well as the ring, if they could even get it on Satoshi's finger.

Dark made another theft over the weekend, but Rikuto knew better than to go to the museum. She also knew that Krad might show up and chase Dark, so instead she walked to Daisuke's house and, with his mother's permission, waited for Dark to get back. When he did, he was surprised that she had come to see him rather than Daisuke.

"Why did you come to see me?" Dark asked her.

"I was hoping you could tell me a little more about this ring." She held up the ring from Satoshi's father. "I want to know what powers it possesses and what it can do to a tamer and his angel."

"Are you planning on using this on a particular angel?" She only smirked. He sat down with her and explained to her what he knew about the ring.

"The ring destroys the person's inner self, or in the case of a tamer, his, or her, hidden angel. It cannot be removed by anyone physically, only by magic. And the angel in danger cannot use their own magic to get it off either. It only takes a week for the angel to be destroyed. Once that happens, the ring falls off by itself. Also, an angel cannot touch the ring, because it would recognize their essence and attach itself to their finger. That's why Daisuke gave you the ring and not me." Rikuto thanked Dark for the information and left. By the time she got home she had already formed a plan in her mind.

It was no surprise when Satoshi was absent from school on Monday. The teachers knew nothing, and the students only knew rumors that they started. Rikuto alone knew why he was actually absent. And she was hoping to change that the next time Dark stole something. She didn't have long to wait. On Friday night Dark set out to steal another precious artifact. This time Rikuto did go to the museum. She didn't have long to wait before she saw Krad following Dark out the back of the museum, away from the police. Rikuto ran to keep them in her sight. When they landed in a field Rikuto showed herself and caught Krad's attention.

"YOU!" he shouted. He shot a feather at the distracted Dark and knocked him away. Then he flew over to Rikuto, grabbed her neck, and held her to the ground. She struggled a little, but then reached for the ring when he started talking. "I am surprised you didn't heed my tamer's warning. I thought you would be too frightened of me to dare come near me or my tamer again. It appears I was wrong, but now I will kill you finally."

He tightened his grip and she brought her hand up to his. While he was distracted by her gasps for air, she fought to keep her strength so she could slip the ring on his finger. As it turned out, all the ring had to do was touch his skin and it slipped on his finger by itself. Krad recoiled and screamed. He tried to pull the ring off but it wouldn't move. A few seconds later Krad was forcefully restrained and Satoshi was given control over his body again. He collapsed on the ground.

"Satoshi!" Rikuto ran over to him. She saw he was still conscious. "Are you alright?"

"I will be." He was in pain, she could see that. Krad was obviously trying to gain control and trying to fight the power of the ring. After several minutes of waiting, she saw Satoshi relax. It appeared that Krad had been subdued. "Thank you," Satoshi told her.

"You're welcome. I was hoping that would work. Do you need help getting home?" He paused a moment, but then nodded.

Rikuto helped him up and they walked to his apartment in silence. Rikuto was thinking about what Satoshi must be feeling, knowing Krad would soon be gone. Satoshi was thinking about his father. They reached his apartment and Rikuto asked if Satoshi would be coming back to school now that Krad was no longer an issue. Hearing that he would, Rikuto left him so he could rest. Satoshi fell asleep immediately while Rikuto stayed awake to talk with Myri.

_What do you mean you're leaving me?_

**Not yet, but I wanted to warn you to ease the shock.**

_But Krad's not gone!_

**He will be soon. That ring will destroy him in one week. After that time I must leave you as well. My purpose was to help you tame an angel. With the ring, you will do that, though in a different way that my previous tamers. But with Krad gone, there will be no need for me anymore. It will be up to you to finish taming Satoshi on your own. You knew I would disappear once the other angel was out of the way.**

_But I didn't realize it would be so soon. I haven't known you that long but I can't imagine life without you._

**Soon there will be someone else to take me place.**

Rikuto could feel Myri's smirk and knew she was talking about Satoshi. Myri would say no more and Rikuto fell asleep thinking about how she was supposed to "finish" taming Satoshi.


	13. Chapter 13

**13**

One Monday morning the school was alive with rumors of Satoshi's return. _Why had he been gone? Why was he back? Had he been sick? Was he devising new ways to capture Dark? Was he going to move away?_ No one knew anything, except for the one person that didn't seem to care. Kupita walked over to a desk and pointed a finger at its occupant.

"Rikuto, why aren't you interested in Hiwatari's return?"

"I am interested, but I'll wait to find out what Satoshi has to say for himself." Kupita ran back to her friends and returned to chatting excitedly about the genius-boy's reappearance.

When Satoshi did finally arrive at school, he was already caught up on all of his homework and received perfect grades on everything, as usual. People were staring at him all day, whispering behind his back. But the only person he ever acknowledged throughout the entire day was Rikuto. He gave her a knowing look as he passed her in the hall. At the end of the school day, Rikuto had a feeling she might find Satoshi in the art gallery instead of exiting the school at the same time as everyone else. She was right.

"Trying to avoid the students?" she asked him. He turned around when she closed the door.

"I wanted to talk to you," he held the hand with the ring on it in front of his face, "about this."

"What about it?" He appeared to struggle for the right words to say before answering.

"Thank you. It was a great risk on your part to follow Krad and get close enough to him to put the ring on. It was a risk you didn't have to take. No, let me finish," he told her when she tried to interrupt. "I appreciate what you did. And I know exactly what this ring does. What I don't know is what my father will do about it when he finds out, and there is no doubt in my mind that he will find out."

"What can he do? He can't take it off, no one can." Satoshi thought for a moment and then switched the topic.

"You couldn't contact Myri when you were wearing the ring, correct?" Rikuto nodded. "Then I don't expect I shall ever hear from Krad again."

"Does it make you sad at all?"

"No. Krad was never more than a monster and a nuisance. I will be glad to be rid of him. I only feel regret that he will return with my offspring."

"But if the ring destroys him, won't he be gone forever?" Satoshi shook his head.

"Krad is a curse on my family. He may be destroyed now, but he will return with the next generation of Hikari's. Only powerful magic directed at the curse and not at Krad could get rid of him forever, unlike your angel."

"My angel?"

"You are an only child. If you do not have any offspring, Myri will never return." Rikuto hadn't thought of that. Myri had, because she said so.

**He is right. And because you will end up with Satoshi, your offspring and his shall bear the name of Hikari, not Rikuto. Therefore, I shall never return to this earth after I leave you.**

_But what if I don't end up with Satoshi? I mean, marriage and all that is a long way off. I might meet someone else._

**No. It is destiny that you and Satoshi end up together. If it were not so, you would have been born to a different family. No, you and Satoshi are meant for each other. Do not worry about me. I shall find peace in knowing that the last of my time was spent taming a different angel for once. It has always been Dark in the past. This was the first time my tamer picked Krad's tamer. It was a new experience, one that I treasure.**

Myri said no more, and Rikuto was silent. Satoshi knew she had been talking with her angel and didn't interrupt them. After a few minutes passed he broke the silence and brought Rikuto out of her thoughts.

"We should leave the school and go home." It took a minute for the words to register with Rikuto.

"Right. Will you be alright with your father?"

"Yes. I suggest you enjoy your time with Myri, as I suspect she will be leaving you soon."

They parted outside of school and returned home alone. Rikuto took Satoshi's advice. She let Myri have control over her body, letting her fly all night, so long as she wasn't caught. Rikuto began drifting towards sleep so Myri took her home.

Satoshi returned home and listened to a message from his father, telling him to come see him in his office as soon as he got home. Satoshi left his school bags on the couch and went to his father's office. He walked in the door and his father shut and locked it behind him. Satoshi knew his father would notice the ring eventually, and dreaded that moment.

"Why weren't you able to capture Dark last night?"

"He got away," Satoshi said vaguely. He wouldn't let his father know about Rikuto for as long as he could.

"I thought Krad had him under control? Did something interfere with his capture?"

"No."

"Don't lie to me Satoshi," his father warned.

"I'm not lying." _It was someone, not something,_ Satoshi thought to himself. His father was walking around to sit at his desk again when he finally noticed the ring on Satoshi's finger.

"What is that?" he asked, pointing to the ring.

"The '_Contero'_. I thought you knew what it was. The ring is rumored to-"

"I know what it does. How did you get it?"

"I found it."

"You couldn't have found it. Someone else had it. Did that girl Rikuto give it to you?" He didn't let Satoshi respond. "She must have. It must be her fault that Dark got away again. Well, this won't do. Take it off."

"I can't, I've tried. You should know it won't come off until it finishes what it started."

His father was silent for five minutes. He didn't speak, move, and hardly seemed to breathe. Satoshi was beginning to wonder if he should leave when his father finally sat down at his desk. He wrote out a short note, folded it, and sealed it. Then he handed it to Satoshi.

"Give that to my assistant outside. There's no need for you to read the contents. You may leave."

Satoshi left the office and opened the note. It said what he had feared. He quickly sealed it back up and handed it to his father's assistant. Then he left the building and ran straight to Rikuto's house. She wasn't at home, so he waited outside for her to return. It was much later when he saw Myri flying towards him.

"Satoshi? What are you doing here?" Myri asked. Rikuto was sleeping and Myri didn't want to disturb her.

"I need to speak with Rikuto."

"Why?"

"It's my father. He's sending someone to pick her up right now. He knows that she gave me the ring and he's going to make her pay for it." Myri knew she had to wake Rikuto up, so she transformed back into the sleeping girl. When Rikuto had control again, she woke up as she was falling forward. Satoshi caught her.

"Did you hear what I told Myri?"

"No, I was asleep."

Satoshi repeated himself. When Rikuto understood he told her to get whatever she needed and come with him. She grabbed a few things and locked her door. She followed him back to his apartment, all the while stopping for him to make sure his father's assistant wasn't anywhere nearby. When they reached his apartment he locked the door and set the alarm. Then he turned around to face his new roommate.

"You can stay here for tonight, but it won't be long before my father sends someone here to look for you."

"What exactly does he want with me?"

"He wants revenge for giving me this ring. Exactly what he plans to do to you, I do not know. But whatever it is, it won't be pleasant." Rikuto shuddered at the thought. "You can sleep in my bed tonight. I will sleep on the couch. We'll figure something out tomorrow." Rikuto nodded and fell asleep instantly.

Satoshi sat down on the couch and tried to think of a solution. He spent several hours trying to think up an answer to the dilemma Rikuto now faced, but nothing came to mind. In the end he fell asleep on the couch and woke up in the morning to continue trying to think of something.


	14. Chapter 14

Rikuto woke up and panicked when she didn't know where she was. Then she remembered Satoshi bringing her to his apartment and relaxed. She looked at the clock and decided to get up and get ready for school. Satoshi was already awake.

"You're awake early," she commented.

"I'm trying to figure out what to do about my father."

"Oh." A silence settled over them as they got ready for school.

They walked to school and sat down in their desks without uttering a single sentence. As the students piled in and classes started, Rikuto had a hard time focusing. She was trying to figure out how to stay away from Satoshi's father. She was thinking she could maybe move, but decided against the idea. His father would catch her before she left. There had to be a way to deal with him, and she was going to find it.

During her lunch period she ate with Satoshi. They were both thinking about the same thing and neither disturbed the other. No one bothered them. Everyone was still too busy gossiping about Hiwatari and Rikuto. People wondered why they were such good friends, and how Rikuto had become his friend.

It was in the middle of her fifth period class that something strange happened. The principal walked into the classroom and asked the teacher to stop teaching for a minute. The students all noticed a man in a suit standing by the doorway. The principal apologized for interrupting their class but needed to call out a student. She called out the name and Rikuto answered.

"Here," she said and raised her hand.

"Please take your things and follow me." Rikuto did as she was told and followed the principal out of the room. The principal told her that a car was waiting outside and she was to go with the man to the car. Once she was finished she was to come back inside and return to class.

While she walked outside the man told her his boss was waiting inside the limousine. He opened the door for her and closed it after her. Before her eyes could adjust to the dark interior, the man outside got into the driver's seat up front and drove the car away from the school.

"What's going on?" Rikuto asked.

"Calm down," a man's voice told her. Rikuto waited for her eyes to finish adjusting and then stared at the man sitting across from her. It was Satoshi's father.

"What do you want with me?" she asked, though she already knew the answer thanks to Satoshi's warning.

"I tired to contact you last night but you weren't at home. Where were you?"

"That's none of your business."

"Hmm. Very well. I discovered that the ring I gave to you has been passed on to my son, Satoshi Hiwatari. I already know that you gave it to him. As I'm sure you are aware of its powers I would like to know why you gave that ring to my son."

"Maybe I should ask you why you gave it to me." Rikuto was stalling for time, trying to think of a way out of the car. She knew if she stayed in the car it would only bring her pain. She also didn't want Satoshi getting into any more trouble with his father over her.

"Answer my question."

Before Rikuto could think of an answer the car came to a halt at an intersection. She took the opportunity to open the car door and jump out. Satoshi's father hadn't been expecting that. He tried to grab her before she got out but only managed to grab her bag. He threw it on the floor and shut the door. Without being told, the driver turned the corner and began following Rikuto.

She was running down the sidewalk as fast as she could. She turned right at the next corner to avoid crossing the street. The limousine was following her closely, but it would have to stop for the driver to get out and grab her. The light at the next intersection turned red. Rikuto decided to risk crossing the street to distance herself from the limo. Once she crossed she kept going straight. This way the limo had to be on the opposite side of the street to follow her.

At the next intersection Rikuto saw a park across the street. She darted into the street, hoping to make it into the park. She thought they couldn't drive into the park, so the driver would have to get out and search for her, so she could let Myri take care of him and get her away. What Rikuto hadn't counted on was Satoshi's father ordering the driver to make an illegal left turn. The limo turned and Rikuto heard the screeching tires; then came the impact. She flew onto the hood of the car and rolled off when the limo stopped. After that she was unconscious.

--------------

Satoshi went to the nurse after fifth hour and was able to get out of school for being sick. He knew his father had Rikuto. He went directly to his apartment to see if his father had left him any messages. There was nothing. Next he went to his father's office. He was told that his father was out on business and hadn't told anyone when he would return. Next he went to Rikuto's house. He didn't expect to find her, but he checked all the same. Still finding nothing he went back to his apartment and got onto his computer. He checked recent events and saw a story about a car accident that had taken place next to a local park. It involved a limo and a girl. Satoshi quickly scanned to find out what hospital the girl had been taken to and then rushed out of his apartment.

At the hospital there were people everywhere. Some people were waiting to be admitted, some were waiting to check on loved ones. Satoshi walked up to the front desk and asked the nurse sitting behind the desk where he could find a friend of his.

"Patient's name?" the nurse asked him.

"Kaiya Rikuto."


	15. Chapter 15

Satoshi walked into the room and saw Rikuto lying on a bed in a hospital gown. She was still unconscious. He sat down in the chair next to her and decided to wait there until she woke up. He listened to the doctors talk about her injuries, but none were life threatening. Since he didn't get very much sleep the previous night, he fell asleep earlier than usual but still woke up early in the morning. Rikuto had started to wake up.

"Satoshi?" Her voice cracked. Before he said anything he handed her the glass of water that had been sitting on the end table.

"How are you feeling?"

"Just great. You?" He saw her smile.

"I'm fine. Do you want to tell me what happened?" Though it took her some time because she was in pain, Rikuto told Satoshi everything that happened from leaving the classroom to being hit by the car.

"How did I end up here?"

"According to the doctors someone in the park saw you get hit and called 911. My father apologized and offered to pay for all your medical bills, so he got off with only a warning to make sure his drivers are more careful." Rikuto asked about her injuries. "You have a fractured rib, your left arm is broken, your right shoulder was dislocated, and you have a minor concussion."

"Is that all?" Rikuto asked with a smile. "Do you think your father is still after me?"

"I don't know. He might settle for sending you to the hospital, but it's hard to tell. For now you need to rest. I'll bring you your homework if you like, but you may want to wait until you're released from the hospital." Rikuto only groaned.

"How long will I be in here for?"

"One week. Then you'll be sent home."

"What am I supposed to do for a week?"

"Rest." Rikuto laughed.

They talked for a few more hours, but then Satoshi had to leave for school. He agreed to come see her again after school and to bring her homework. After he left Rikuto went back to sleep. When she woke up Satoshi had already returned and was watching the news on her hospital TV.

"How long have you been here?" she asked.

"Thirty minutes."

He handed her her school books and helped her with her homework. Despite her urging him to go home and rest, he stayed at the hospital with her for the remainder of the week. He slept in a chair by her bed and only left for school. He refused to leave her in case his father tried something. Over the weekend Daisuke dropped in to say hello to Rikuto. She thanked him for the visit and told him to thank Dark again for all his help. Daisuke only smiled because Dark came back later that night to say hello in person. Satoshi waited outside.

"Myri would come out but she's afraid of causing me pain," Rikuto told Dark.

"That's alright. I wanted to congratulate you on getting rid of Krad. I know there's still a few days left, but still. It'll be nice to steal with only Hiwatari to deal with." Once he was gone Satoshi came back in.

"Is it strange thinking about not having Krad to help you catch Dark?" Rikuto asked.

"No. It will be a relief. He was only ever a problem. He wanted to destroy Dark, not just capture him. I have a question for you, if you don't mind." Rikuto motioned for him to go ahead. "Your name is Kaiya Rikuto, but no one at school knows your first name. Why do you go by just your last name?"

"I stopped using my first name when my parents died. Part of it was to honor them by using the name they both left me. The other part is because I was named after my mother. I didn't like being reminded of her every time someone called my name, so I stopped using it. Since you're right about no one at school knowing it, how did you learn my first name?"

"I _am_ a genius," he said with a smile. "But I won't use your first name if you don't want me to."

"No, I think I'm ready to start using it again. I like it when you say it." She saw Satoshi blush at this. They talked a little longer but then Satoshi fell asleep. Rikuto stayed awake to talk with Myri.

_Will this really be the last time I talk to you? Is there no other way for you to stay with me?_

**I'm afraid I have no choice. I must leave when the angel of your choice is tamed. But you will survive without me. You now have Satoshi to keep you company.**

_Yes, but he can't take me flying._ Myri laughed at this.

**You'll be fine without me. I will miss you. You remind me of your mother.**

_My mother? You've never mentioned my mother before. Of course she would have been a tamer too. Can you tell me about my mother? Which angel did she choose? You said this was the first time your tamer picked Krad, so does that mean she picked Dark?_

**So many questions! Yes, she was my tamer. Unfortunately, Dark was not around when your mother was my tamer. And because Dark was not around, Krad wasn't either. They remained sealed away, waiting for the next generation. Unfortunately, I am not a part of the same curse so I still showed up for your mother. She married your father, though I told her she was going against her destiny. She told me I was wrong, and that she could choose her own destiny. Because there was no angel for me to tame, I was still inside your mother when she had you. Then your parents died and I disappeared, only having to wait a few years until I was reborn in you.**

_But why weren't Dark and Krad around? Surely they had tamers, you must just not have known about them._

**No. There was no Dark because the next in the Niwa line was a girl, Daisuke's mother, and Dark would only be reborn in a boy. And because there was no Dark, Krad could not be reborn. They are connected, each one half of the other. So they must be reborn at the same time. But as I said before, I am not bound by that curse. So whether they are reborn or not, I am reborn in every generation. Things were different with your mother though because she did not marry a tamer. Therefore I was not freed but remained with your mother until she died.**

_Did my parents really die in a car accident?_

**Yes. It was a windy night, so windy that some power lines were ripped out of the ground. These power lines were in control of the lights at train crossings. Your parents didn't see the lights because the power lines were out, and they didn't hear the train because the wind was so loud. Only when they were crossing the tracks did they see its headlights, but by then it was too late. I would have taken over your mother's body, to try to save her, but there wasn't enough time. It was a terrible accident.**

Rikuto was silent for a minute. She'd never heard the story told like that. She had been told that her parents were driving recklessly and tried to beat the train across the tracks. Finally she spoke again. _Did you like my mother?_

**I liked your mother very much. We spoke often, about many different things. She asked me questions about her ancestors and sometimes asked me for advice. We spoke about her future, and after she had you, we often talked about you. It was interesting watching you grow up, since I've never been able to watch my tamer grow up.**

_Wait. You told me if I married Satoshi my children would bear his name and therefore inherit Krad. If my mother was your tamer, didn't she take my father's name?_

**Your mother was a Rikuto. Her father, your grandfather, was the brother of my former tamer. Then I was passed on to your mother, who was an only child like you. When she married your father, she convinced him to take her last name instead of keeping his. She wanted to have a daughter so I could have another chance at taming an angel. That is why you are a Rikuto. If you had a brother, his daughter would inherit me. As it is, you will be the last of the Rikuto line, and I will cease to exist after tonight.**

_But what if. . ._

**Sleep, Kaiya. It has been my pleasure to be your angel.**

---------------

On Monday morning Rikuto was allowed to leave the hospital. Satoshi escorted her home. He told her to continue resting and he would bring her homework with him when he came to visit after school. On his way out the door, the ring slipped off his finger. Satoshi stared at it for a minute before speaking.

"I guess that means Krad is officially gone." He didn't mention Myri. Rikuto sat down on the couch and stared at the ground. Satoshi saw a tear roll down her cheek. He knew she was thinking of Myri. He sat down on the couch next to her and put his arm around her. "She knew it would happen eventually," he told her. Rikuto wrapped her arms around him and cried into his chest. He hugged her back, running his hand threw her hair.

Satoshi skipped school that day. He stayed with Rikuto and listened to her tell him about her last conversation with Myri. He told her stories about his time with Krad and things he knew about Krad. Rikuto eventually fell asleep, and Satoshi paid his father a visit.

"Satoshi! What a pleasant surprise. I thought you were supposed to be in school."

"Are you through with Rikuto?" Satoshi was in no mood to talk to his father, but needed to make sure Rikuto would be safe.

"What are you talking about?"

"You know perfectly well what I'm talking about. Are you still after Rikuto or are you going to leave her alone now?"

"I was considering paying her a visit at the hospital, but I heard there was someone there every day. I thought I would visit her after she returned home instead. How is she doing after that horrible accident?"

"You know perfectly well that it wasn't an accident. I want you to leave her alone or I will expose you to the public."

"Is that a threat?"

"Yes. You'll be happy to know I did learn that from you."

"I can assure you Satoshi I have no intention of harming that girl again if she means so much to you."

"Good. But if you decide to change your mind, or I hear that you've hurt her, I'll make sure everyone knows exactly who you are and what you do, behind your precious title."

Satoshi left his father's office, unaware of how shocked his father was at being talked to that way by his son. He knew Satoshi meant what he said, so he decided it wouldn't hurt to let Satoshi enjoy that girl's company. But he still expected Satoshi to capture Dark. He would make sure of that.

While his father thought about capturing a certain phantom thief, Satoshi went back to see how Rikuto was doing. She was still sleeping, so he took the time to call the hospital and find out when she could return to school. When Rikuto woke up, Satoshi told her she could go back to school at the end of the week. Until then, he brought her all her homework and turned it in for her.

On Friday, he helped her get to the school and into their classroom. All the teachers told her how glad they were that she was back. At then end of the school day Satoshi helped her home. While they walked she asked his when he would return to his apartment.

"I don't know. Before I do I want to make sure you'll be alright on your own." Rikuto blushed but said nothing until they were inside her house.

"Thank you for everything you've done Satoshi."

"You're welcome, Kaiya." Rikuto smiled at the sound of her first name. She liked it when he said it.

When she looked up again he was still looking at her. The next thing she knew he leaned in and kissed her. Before she completely lost herself in the kiss, one thought passed through her head. For once, she was glad Myri wasn't around to see what she was doing.


End file.
